


Being Alive

by kurtsolos



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, F/M, M/M, Minor Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce, Oblivious Blaine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-02-15 07:43:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13026429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurtsolos/pseuds/kurtsolos
Summary: Kurt has admired Blaine Anderson, McKinley's most popular football star, since he'd first seen the boy freshman year. Blaine swears to be straight, as he has been in a relationship with McKinley's most popular cheerleader, Rachel Berry, since ninth grade. The situation insentifies when one of Blaine's best friends, Finn Hudson, develops feelings for his girlfriend of two years. As Blaine gets to know Kurt and Finn uncovers the severity of his feelings for Rachel, their worlds turn upside down and the two are sent spiraling.





	1. Hurt and Hope

   Kurt sighed, bending down to pick up the books that Karofsky had just knocked out of his hands. _Two more years_ , Kurt thought. _Two more years until I graduate and I can leave this hideous town and everyone in it and never look back_. He readjusted the straps of his backpack and attempted to walk to his next class with some pride, though he didn’t seem to have very much left.

   “Hey, Kurt. You okay? You look a little shaken up,” Mercedes asked when she finally caught up with him, concern evident in her voice. She linked arms with him, ensuring that she would be there for him if he needed her.

   Kurt flashed her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m fine. I’m just so sick of everyone here except for you and Tina. I just have to make it through the next half of this year, tough it out senior year, and then I’m done.”

   Mercedes smiled sympathetically. “I know it’s frustrating, Kurt. I’m sick of everything, too. I hate having to watch you get treated so horribly. I just feel so helpless.”

   Kurt stopped walking for a moment to reassure her that she was far from helpless and he appreciated her every day for being his friend. Mercedes and Tina were one of the few reasons he stayed at McKinley – them and glee club. The other kids in glee club were nice, but none of them compared to his two best friends in the slightest. Along with Mercedes and Tina, there was Artie, the kid in the wheelchair that seemed compassionate but didn’t make much of an effort to befriend Kurt. Lastly, there was Mike, who seemed to be incredibly shy and reserved unless he was dancing in front of the room. Mike was somewhat of an acquaintance to Kurt, as he was Tina’s boyfriend and Kurt and Mercedes made frequent attempts to try and get to know him for Tina’s sake.

   Kurt continued down the halls with Mercedes on his arm, feeling slightly less susceptible to harassment with her by his side. Kurt felt his heart tighten in his chest when he spotted a group of football players in his field of vision. Among them were Finn Hudson, Sam Evans, Noah Puckerman, and Blaine Anderson. Finn Hudson had always been some sort of a mystery to Kurt, as he remained one of the most popular guys in school despite his inability to socialize with many other kids. While there were times when Finn had bullied and harassed Kurt, Kurt concluded that he wasn’t as bad as most of the other football players who had it out for him. While Finn has had many opportunities, he’s only ever caused Kurt trouble when the other guys were around to see it. Sam Evans had a similar story, as he could be extremely destructive at times but managed to keep his distance from Kurt when his friends weren’t around.

   Noah Puckerman, however, was the worst of them all. He’d made Kurt’s life a living hell; always shoving him in lockers, calling him names, and tossing him in dumpsters. Noah Puckerman and Dave Karofsky, though they didn’t associate much with each other, made Kurt the most miserable. Sometimes, the mere presence of them had Kurt fearing for his life.

   Last but certainly not least was Blaine Anderson, who was easily the most popular, well-liked guy in the school. Along with being the star football player, he maintained both an impressive GPA and a relationship with the most popular, well-liked girl in the school, Rachel Berry. The two have been dating since freshman year and have been incredibly open with their relationship ever since. Blaine and Rachel were consistently reprimanded by teachers for public displays of affection, which their friends seemed to appreciate even more. Similar to popular opinion, Kurt easily considered Blaine the hottest guy in school. He was honestly perfect, with his dark curls held in place by a sufficient amount of hair gel, his honey-colored eyes always bright and glistening, and an infectious smile that could turn the heads of anyone in his path. Like Finn and Sam, Blaine didn’t torment Kurt as much as the others, and Kurt swears he would catch flashes of regret and guilt in Blaine’s eyes every time he would shove Kurt against a locker. Kurt sighed again, realizing he was too deep in his thoughts.

   “He’s so perfect,” Kurt mumbled to Mercedes, who instantly knew who he was referring to. Kurt watched as Blaine found Rachel and engulfed her in his arms.

   “You seriously need to get over this crush,” Mercedes warned, but Kurt didn’t care. Kurt understood fully well that he could only ever be with Blaine in his dreams and the most he could do was admire him from afar, and he was honestly content with doing just that. Kurt watched Rachel wrap her arms around Blaine’s neck and pull him in for a deep kiss, and Kurt felt an instant flood of sadness swallow him up.

   “I don’t think I can, but I don’t think I want to, either.”

   “Have you ever kissed anybody?” Mercedes asked him, her eyes lingering on Blaine and Rachel’s near make out session.

   Kurt shook his head, his eyes not straying from Blaine. “No, but I want to.”

__________

   Finn watched as Blaine and Rachel kissed each other feverishly, and while the other guys continued to cheer them on, Finn couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Finn has been crushing on Rachel since middle school, and when Blaine had first told him that he and Rachel were going out, Finn felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest. His feelings had only grown stronger since then, but he knew fully well that it would be unacceptable to make a move on her while she was dating one of his best friends.

   He could only sit and watch them together, wishing he had gotten to her first.

   Blaine and Rachel had finally pulled apart, and Rachel gave him one last kiss on the cheek before walking off in the other direction. Blaine continued walking with his friends alongside him, Sam and Puck patting him on the back.

   “You really are the man,” Sam told him, bumping Blaine’s fist with his. Puck gave Blaine a high five, nodding in agreement to Sam’s comment.

   “Yeah seriously, dude. Rachel’s hot as hell. How you got a chick like that is beyond me,” Puck laughed, which resulted in Blaine elbowing him in the side. Finn just feigned a smile, hoping none of the guys noticed his discomfort.

   After all, he’d been faking his smile for nearly three years now, so he’d gotten pretty damn good at it.

__________

   Kurt walked into the choir room and took a seat in between Mercedes and Tina, the two of them beaming at him when he sat down. Mike sat down on the opposite side of Tina, linking their fingers together as the two began staring lovingly at each other. Artie was on the opposite side of Mercedes, and he smiled at her when they made brief eye contact.

   “Hello glee club!” Mr. Schuester came in the room with his usual enthusiasm, his smile growing wider when the students cheered at the sight of him. “As you all know, last week I asked each of you guys to find a song that you feel accurately describes how you feel about life and perform it in front of the room. Would any of you like to volunteer to go first?”

   Kurt raised his hand excitedly, as he’d been looking forward to singing the song ever since he was first given the assignment. Kurt didn’t even have to think about what song he was going to sing – he knew instantly that it would be “Being Alive” from _Company_. He felt as if he’s had a strong personal and emotional connection with the song since the first time he heard it. Mr. Schuester nodded towards Kurt, and Kurt went ahead and took his place in front of the room.

   “I am going to perform a song that I’ve loved since I was six, and I hope that this song resonates well with you and that you can create your own meaning for it,” Kurt said, his hands shaking with excitement at his sides. “This is ‘Being Alive’.”

   When the music started, Kurt closed his eyes and began to sing.

 _Someone to hold you too close  
_ _Someone to hurt you too deep  
_ _Someone to sit in your chair  
_ _And ruin your sleep  
_ _And make you aware of being alive_

   Kurt took note of the expressions on the faces of the students in front of him, smiling to himself. This was the only place at McKinley High where Kurt actually felt safe and loved, and he wanted to hold onto that feeling for as long as he could.

 _Someone to need you too much  
_ _Someone to know you too well  
_ _Someone to pull you up short  
_ _And put you through hell  
_ _And give you support for being alive_

   Mercedes and Tina smiled at him, nodding along with the music. Mr. Schuester wore a proud look on his face, extremely glad that the glee club was something that could make Kurt smile even after everything he’s suffered through. Mike was tapping his foot along with the music, and Artie continued to drum his fingers to the beat.

 _Make me alive, make me confused  
_ _Mock me with praise, let me be used  
_ _Vary my days, but alone is alone, not alive  
_ _Somebody hold me too close  
_ _Somebody force me to care  
_ _Somebody make me come through  
_ _I’ll always be there  
_ _As frightened as you of being alive_

   Everyone began to cheer as he sang, giving him the confidence he needed to sing the rest of the song. Kurt felt at home when he was singing; it was one of the only things in life that never failed to make him smile.

 _Someone you have to let in  
_ _Someone whose feelings you spare  
_ _Someone who, like it or not  
_ _Will want you to share a little, a lot of being alive  
_ _Make me alive, make me confused  
_ _Mock me with praise, let me be used  
_ _Vary my days, but alone is alone, not alive_

 _Somebody crowd me with love  
__Somebody force me to care  
__Somebody make me come through  
__I’ll always be there  
__Frightened as you to help us survive,  
__Being alive_  
 

   Kurt finished strongly, and the other kids in the club had no idea how someone could expect to follow a performance as amazing as that one. They all clapped and cheered for Kurt, and Kurt headed back to his seat with a huge grin spread across his lips.

   “That was incredible, Kurt,” Mr. Schuester commented. “You’ve set the bar very high for the others. Mercedes will go tomorrow, then Artie the next class, then Tina, then Mike. I can’t wait to see what you all choose to sing!”

   “I already know what I’m singing,” Tina whispered to Mercedes, and when she asked what, she just shook her head and told her it was a surprise.

   “Now there are some things we need to discuss,” Mr. Schuester began, rubbing his hands together. “We only have five members, and you all know that we’re going to need at least seven more members to qualify for show choir competitions. So, I want you all to try and recruit some new members so we can get some new voices in here. Sound good?”

   Everyone shouted their agreements, hoping this club would turn into something incredibly special.

   Kurt had a feeling it would.

__________

   Kurt walked out of the choir room at the end of glee rehearsal with a huge smile on his face, heading towards his locker to take books and homework home for the end of the day. Kurt’s smile faded when he was suddenly crowded by Puck and Karofsky, who had Kurt backed up against his locker with no chance of running away.

   “Hey Hummel, I think we need to have a little talk,” Puck gave Kurt a cold stare, resting his arm against the lockers for support. “I saw you staring at us a little too long than you should have been earlier. I don’t want you looking at me. Got it, loser? I don’t need you walking around here spreading your gay disease.”

   “I wasn’t looking at you, Puck. Why would anyone want to put themselves through that?” Kurt snapped back, which only made Puck angrier. Puck grabbed a hold of Kurt’s shoulders and forcefully shoved him against the lockers, earning a bitter laugh from Karofsky.

   Karofsky revealed the slushie he had been hiding behind his back the whole time. “You know, it’s almost been a whole three days since you’ve gotten a slushie facial, and I think that needs to change.”

   Blaine was walking down the hall when he stumbled upon Puck and Karofsky with Kurt pinned up against the lockers, and as soon as Puck laid eyes on him, he motioned for him to come over. Blaine slowly approached the scene, trying his hardest to avoid eye contact with Kurt.

   “What are you guys doing?” Blaine asked, adjusting his grip on his backpack strap.

   “We’re about to give Ladyboy here a slushie facial,” Puck laughed. “Stay and watch, it’s going to be hilarious.”

   Kurt fixated his eyes on Blaine, hoping Blaine would look up at him, see the hurt in his eyes, and come to his defense. Blaine just stared down at the ground, not antagonizing Kurt but making no effort whatsoever to help.

   Blaine watched as Karofsky dumped the cold, blue slushie over Kurt’s head. Within seconds, Kurt’s outfit was covered with blue stains and chunks of ice, and he could feel his eyes burning from the cold. Puck and Karofsky high-fived each other before walking away, leaving Blaine and a drenched, miserable Kurt behind.

   “Are you okay?”

   Kurt was shocked when he had finally rubbed the slushie out of his eyes and noticed the look of genuine concern in Blaine’s eyes. Kurt laughed bitterly before looking down at his slushie-stained clothes and then meeting Blaine’s gaze.

   “Do I look like I’m okay, Blaine?” Kurt yelled, pushing past him. “Stop acting as if you actually care whether or not I’m okay while you just stood there idly by and watched it happen. Thanks for doing absolutely nothing.”

   Blaine bit his lip, a flash of guilt running through him. He reached out and grabbed a hold of Kurt’s arm before he could walk too far away, pulling him back to face him. Kurt broke out of Blaine’s grasp and stared hardly at him, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

   “Let me help you get cleaned up,” Blaine offered. “I have extra towels in my car that I was going to use for after football practice yesterday but never did.” Blaine made sure no one was around to see him helping Kurt, and when he was sure that they were alone, he grabbed Kurt’s arm and began heading towards his car.

   Saying Kurt was taken aback by Blaine’s offer was just an understatement, as Blaine had never made an attempt to help Kurt before. Maybe Kurt shouldn’t have trusted him and gone along with him to his car, but he just wanted to believe for once that Blaine Anderson did not have a stone-cold heart.

 _Maybe_ , Kurt thought. _Maybe besides being incredibly hot, he’s actually a pretty decent guy after all_.


	2. Breadstix

   Kurt hesitantly climbed into Blaine’s car, shutting the door behind him. Blaine reached for the towels he had stored in his car and handed one to Kurt, who expressed his thanks with a slight, bashful smile. Kurt wiped the slushie remnants off of his face first, his eyes and skin still tingling from the cold. He then attempted to retrieve the blue chunks from his hair, but he didn’t do so very efficiently.

   “Here, let me help you,” Blaine offered, reaching towards Kurt with one of the extra towels in his hands. Kurt shook his head, pushing Blaine’s hand away when it came close to his hair.

   “I don’t need your help. I can do it myself,” Kurt insisted, flipping down the mirror above his head so he could focus on what he was doing. Blaine let out a short sigh, putting his towel back where it was and leaning forwards. “What are you doing?”

   “I’m turning the radio on,” Blaine said, skipping through stations until he found one that he liked. “I always listen to music when I’m in the car. It’s just a habit.”

   A few moments later, the sound of Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” filled the car. Blaine adjusted the volume to make it a little louder, signifying his liking of the song. He began tapping his fingers on his legs, not noticing when he began to sing along with the music. Blaine didn’t realize he had been singing until he felt Kurt’s eyes on him, and he reacted by biting his lip in embarrassment.

   “Sorry, I didn’t even realize I was singing,” Blaine chuckled to himself.

   “No, don’t apologize. You’re actually really good,” Kurt admitted, a small smile forming on his lips.

   “Wait, really?”

   Kurt nodded. “Yeah, really. Trust me, I know talent when I hear it, and you’ve got it.”

   Blaine felt himself begin to smile. “Um, thanks.”

   “You should join glee club,” Kurt immediately blurted out. “We could really use a male lead and I think you’d be great for it. We sing songs like these all the time and I promise it’s really fun.”

   Kurt’s excitement disappeared when he watched Blaine’s smile fade away. “Sorry Kurt, but I don’t think I can join. It’s just not my thing.”

   “But, why not?”

   “It’s social suicide,” Blaine admitted. “I’m sorry. I’m sure glee club’s fun and all, but I just can’t risk it.” Kurt didn’t respond, he just continued trying to wipe away the ice from his face and hair. Blaine couldn’t stand to watch Kurt struggle any longer. “Kurt, please let me help you. You’re missing a lot of –”

   “Why do you want to help me, anyway? You’ve never acted like you cared about me before, so why now?” Kurt pressed for an answer, finally giving in and motioning for Blaine to help him.

   Blaine reached for the towel Kurt had already been using and leaned over for better access to Kurt’s hair. He began by running the towel through the hair near Kurt’s forehead, efficiently removing some of the ice.

   “I don’t know, I guess I just feel kind of guilty sometimes,” Blaine finally answered, wiping away the blue dye that was beginning to drip down Kurt’s forehead. “I figure school must be hard enough on you already without guys like Puck and Karofsky constantly antagonizing you.”

   “You do it too, you know,” Kurt reminded him. “You, Sam, Finn – all of you.”

   “I know, but,” Blaine paused, searching for the right words. “I don’t think Sam, Finn, and I are like Puck and Karofsky. I especially don’t think I’m anything like them. I mean, I’m sitting here helping you clean up. Would you ever see Puck or Karofsky do anything like that?”

   “But you still associate with them, Blaine. In a way, that makes you as bad as them. Also, don’t act as if you’ve never thrown me against a locker or tried to trip me in the hallways,” Kurt moved away from Blaine, hinting that he didn’t need anymore help from him. “Plus, the fact that you had to make sure we were alone before asking me if I was okay shows that you care more about maintaining your image than the fact that I’m consistently being tormented and going home wearing slushies.”

   “Kurt, you just don’t understand what it’s like to be me,” Blaine started. “You don’t know what it’s like to constantly have to prove yourself. Everybody at this school is counting on me to act a certain way. The football team depends on me to carry the team to a win, my teachers depend on me to be at the top of the class, my girlfriend depends on me to treat her right. With all that, I have to make sure to secure my reputation by becoming friends with people of the right crowds. I can’t risk helping someone like you in front of everyone. Don’t you see? My reputation would be shattered.”

   Kurt laughed bitterly. “ _Someone like me?_   Wow.”

   “I didn’t mean it like –”

   “I know exactly how you meant it,” Kurt opened the car door and climbed out, not able to spend another moment in the presence of an asshole like Blaine. “It must be so hard having everyone here worship you and the ground you walk on. You know what, Blaine? You’re right; you’re not like Puck and Karofsky at all.”

   “Thanks, I –”

   “You’re worse,” Kurt yelled, slamming the car door shut and running away. He’d acted strong and held everything together in the moment, but now he knew he just had to get away from Blaine.

   He just couldn’t let Blaine see him cry.

__________

   When Kurt finally returned home from school, he threw his backpack onto the couch in frustration and buried his face in his hands. Burt came in when he heard his son let out an exasperated groan.

   “Kurt, are you okay? What’s –” Burt paused when he noticed Kurt’s stained clothes. “What the hell happened to you?”

   Burt typically worked almost all day at the tire shop, so he wasn’t usually around when Kurt came home from school. When Burt decided to leave early today, he wasn’t expecting to come home to his son covered head to toe in blue stains. Burt tried not to think about how this could be a frequent occurrence. He didn’t want to consider the idea that Kurt might be coming home in this condition every day, that something incredibly wrong could be happening every day without him knowing.

   “Karofsky happened,” Kurt plopped down on the couch next to his backpack, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. “He backed me into a locker and poured a slushie over my head. It’s the third time he’s done it this week alone.”

   “How long has this been going on?” Burt asked, though he wasn’t sure he was prepared to hear the answer.

   “For as long as I can remember,” Kurt responded honestly, allowing himself to sink back into the couch.

   “Have you told anyone about this?”

   “I’ve tried many times,” Kurt sighed. “Nobody really seems to care. Teachers always say there’s nothing they can do except give them warnings. It’s not all bad, though. I have Mercedes and Tina to talk to, and the rest of the kids in glee club are pretty nice to me. I don’t want you to worry about me, Dad.”

   “I’m allowed to worry about you, Kurt,” Burt nearly yelled in frustration at Kurt’s words. “I’m glad you have friends like Mercedes and Tina, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that you’re being bullied and harassed by other kids.”

   “It’s my problem to deal with, okay? I don’t want you getting involved. It’ll only make things worse,” Kurt stood up from the couch, walking over to his dad and giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. “I’m fine, Dad. I promise. You don’t need any extra stress right now, especially since you suffered that heart attack a few months ago.”

   Burt sighed, accepting defeat when he realized Kurt was not going to let him try and help. “Okay well, if you don’t want me to do anything about it, that’s your call and I respect that. I’m sure you have your reasons. If you ever change your mind, though, I’m always here if you need me. Don’t forget that.”

   Kurt smiled, pulling his dad in for a hug. “I won’t forget. Thank you.”

__________

   “Puck told me he wants all of us to meet him, Blaine, Sam, and Finn at Breadstix after school today,” Santana informed Rachel, Quinn, and Brittany at school the next day, switching out books from her locker. When Santana noticed the unenthusiastic expressions on Quinn and Brittany’s faces, she couldn’t help but comment. “Is that a problem?”

   “No, it’s just… you’re dating Puck and Rachel’s dating Blaine,” Brittany started.

   Santana shrugged in confusion. “Yeah, so?”

   “ _So_ , Brittany and I are going to feel left out since we aren’t dating any of the other guys in the group.” Quinn crossed her arms, her ponytail bouncing slightly when she let out an audible sigh.

   “Well, why don’t you guys try and get with them? You’re the hottest girls in school – well, besides me and Rachel, of course,” Santana pointed out. “I’m sure Sam and Finn are just as eager to find people to mess around with as you are.”

   Quinn turned to Brittany, who was already looking at her. “I could be down with that.”

   “I think I might want to change before we go,” Rachel started. “I want to dress really nicely for Blaine, and this outfit just isn’t enough. Do you guys want to come to my place after school and we can all get ready together? We will just have to tell the guys we’ll be meeting them a little later.”

   The three other girls nodded in response, looking forward to an extremely fun night. The four girls were so engaged in conversation that they failed to notice Puck come out of nowhere and snake his arms around Santana’s waist. Santana giggled, pulling Puck slightly aside so they could be semi-alone.

   “I was just telling the girls about our plans,” Santana told him, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a quick kiss on his lips. “Rachel wants us girls to come to her place after school so we can all get ready together. Do you, Sam, Finn, and Blaine want to meet us at Breadstix when we’re done?”

   Puck nodded, pulling her impossibly closer. “Yeah, just shoot me a text when you’re on your way. I’ll get us a table.”

   “Hey, I hate to interrupt, but if you two don’t get to class now you’re not going anywhere later except detention.” Quinn warned, beginning to walk in the other direction with Rachel and Brittany at her side.

   “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Santana quickly winked at Puck before she felt Quinn grab her wrist and pull her along with them.

__________

   “I can’t decide if I want the salad or the beans,” Rachel flipped through her menu.

   “There are so many great things on the menu and you’re stuck between _salad and beans_?” Blaine expressed his confusion, shaking his head at his girlfriend.

   “I’ve told you I’m vegan like a hundred times, Blaine,” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Eat whatever you want, I don’t care. Just please don’t try and make me feel badly for what I choose to put in my body.”

   “I don’t know where the hell the other guys are,” Blaine changed the subject, glancing down at his watch. “Puck was the one who planned this in the first place and he’s not even here yet. Where are Santana, Quinn, and Brittany?”

   “They went to the bathroom,” Rachel responded, closing her menu and setting it down on the table. “You know what? I think I’m going to get the salad.”

   “Hey, you want to hear something funny?” Blaine asked, his arms resting on top of the table as he leaned forward. Rachel stared back at him, motioning for him to continue. “That Hummel kid heard me singing yesterday and told me I should consider joining glee club. Isn’t that crazy?”

   Blaine spared her some of the details; he didn’t want Rachel to know that Kurt had been sitting in his car with him after the boy had been brutally slushied in front of his locker. When Rachel didn’t laugh, confusion spread across Blaine’s face.

   “I actually don’t think it’s that crazy,” Rachel began. “Yes, the glee club is the lowest of the low and all the kids in it are losers, but I think you’re forgetting who we are. You and I, we could make _anything_ look cool. Plus, I love to sing, and I wouldn’t mind being the center of attention in yet another club.”

   Blaine considered her ideas. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

   Rachel smiled, reaching across the table and taking Blaine’s hands in hers. “Plus, if it ends up sucking, we could just make fun of it the whole time or try to destroy it from the inside. What do you think?”

   “I think…” Blaine began. “I think I’m in.”

   “What took you guys so long?” Rachel asked when Santana, Quinn, and Brittany finally joined her and Blaine at the table. Not long after, Puck, Finn, and Sam came walking towards the table.

   “Sorry, I accidentally zipped my ponytail into my dress,” Quinn whispered to Rachel. “Anyways, did you guys order yet?”

   Rachel shook her head, telling her that she and Blaine had been waiting for everyone to arrive before ordering. Rachel, Santana, Quinn, and Brittany all sat in seats beside each other, the guys on the opposite side. Blaine sat across from Rachel, Puck across from Santana, Finn across from Quinn, and Sam across from Brittany. When the waitress had finally taken their orders, they engaged in conversations that would later cause them all to erupt in fits of laughter. They made no efforts to lower their voices and remain quiet, which earned them plenty of complaints and looks of disapproval from the waitress and other people in the restaurant.

   “So, Rachel thinks she and I should join glee club,” Blaine announced, and Puck nearly spit out his drink from laughing so much.

   “Oh, hell no. That’s social suicide,” Puck responded, repeating the words Blaine had used when Kurt brought up glee club in the car yesterday.

   “That’s what I said,” Blaine pointed out, his gaze falling on Rachel.

   “But then I told Blaine that it may be fun and that everybody in this school worships us, so we can do no wrong. We’ll be the coolest ones in there, Puck, and I’m always looking for opportunities to be the star,” Rachel defended, taking a sip of her water.

   Puck glanced over at Finn and Sam, curious of their reactions. When Finn and Sam seemed to be just as against the idea as Puck, Puck was confident that he was right. “I still think it’s a terrible idea. I can’t stop you though, so do what you want, I guess. But, if this thing blows up in your face, as I know it will, just remember that I told you so.”

   Rachel rolled her eyes, unable to hold back a laugh. “We’ll see about that, Puckerman.”


	3. Party

   “Hello everyone! Mercedes is going to sing the song she’s chosen for today in a few minutes, but I just wanted to make a quick announcement first,” Mr. Schuester began, his face bright and happy. “Good news guys – we’ve just gained two new members and now we only need five more people to be eligible to compete!”

   Everyone was incredibly shocked, as glee club was far from being the coolest club in school and a good bit of the students here weren’t exactly begging and pleading to be a part of it. Nonetheless, the kids were ecstatic at the news and looking forward to some new faces and voices. However, when Blaine and Rachel walked through the door, nearly all excitement vanished.

   “Oh, _hell no_ ,” Mercedes made no attempt to hide her disapproval. “Mr. Schue, you can’t let them join. Seriously, why are they even here in the first place? To try and make us feel pathetic and miserable in the only place that makes us happy? I don’t know, but neither of them have ever treated any of us with respect or made an effort to get to know us, so it’s a definite no from me.”

   “Mercedes, I understand you’re frustrated, but they have every right to be here as you do,” Mr. Schuester argued, turning away from Mercedes to get another look at Blaine and Rachel. “Now come on, let’s give them a warm glee club welcome.”

   Although displeased, the members of New Directions all put on a smile, clapped their hands, and welcomed the two to the club. Kurt couldn’t process what was happening – Blaine had made it very clear to him that joining glee club would be the last thing he would ever do, and now here he was; sitting directly behind Kurt with that stupid damn smile playing on his lips. Kurt turned around and glanced at him, shyly directing his gaze back to the front of the room when Blaine had caught his eye.

   Mercedes ended up singing “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera, which earned some emotional reactions from the people in the room. Everyone clapped for her, and she took her seat with a smile on her lips. Mr. Schuester informed Blaine and Rachel of the assignment, notifying them that they are expected to perform after the original glee club members are finished.

   When rehearsal was over, Kurt noticed that Blaine hung back to talk to Mr. Schuester about the assignment. Kurt hadn’t had the chance to question Blaine about his sudden change of heart on joining glee club, and he figured now would be the best time to do so, as they would be alone as soon as Mr. Schuester left.

   Mr. Schuester flashed Blaine a smile and gave him a welcoming pat on the back before heading out the door. Blaine turned around, his eyes immediately landing on Kurt when he realized he hadn’t been alone.

   “I thought you weren’t going to join glee club,” Kurt crossed his arms, giving Blaine a questioning look and taking a step towards him. “If I remember correctly, you said glee club was ‘social suicide’ and that associating with the kids in it would shatter your reputation. What changed?”

   Blaine glanced down at the floor, the corners of his mouth raising to form a sheepish smile. Blaine finally looked up at Kurt, who was looking at him with inquisitive eyes. “I was talking about it with Rachel and I realized that you were right,” he began, Kurt’s look of confusion not faltering. “You were right when you said that the people here worship me and the ground I walk on, so I figured it couldn’t hurt. I also love to sing, and Rachel’s happy that this club will give her even more opportunities for attention.”

   Kurt nodded slowly, uncrossing his arms. “Well, I’m glad you changed your mind and decided to join – even if your motives are incredibly selfish.” Kurt waited for Blaine’s rebuttal, but when it never came, he gave the football star one last look before heading out. “Apparently I’ll be seeing you around.”

__________

   “Dude, guess what,” Sam pulled Finn aside with intentions of sharing some exciting news. “So, you know how Rachel’s parents are insanely rich and have a huge ass house? Blaine told me that Rachel’s parents are going out of town for the weekend and that Rachel has the house to herself. You know what that means?”

   “What?” Finn asked, completely oblivious.

   “It means we’re partying this weekend,” Sam continued. “It’s going to be great! Rachel’s parents apparently have a liquor cabinet so we can get drunk off our asses, and all of Rachel’s hot friends are going to be there! Can you believe it?”

   Finn smiled weakly. “I don’t know, man. I’m not really the partying type.”

   “You’re going,” Sam elbowed his friend in the side. “Didn’t you hear me? There’s going to be alcohol and girls. _Hot girls_. You know that you, Blaine, Puck, and I have all been super stressed lately from worrying about next weekend’s game – I think we could use a good time to ease our minds a little.”

   “Fine I’ll go, but how many people are going to be there? Is it just going to be the four of us with Rachel and her friends?” Finn asked with a sigh, making no attempts to hide his aversion to social events.

   Sam rolled his eyes. “I have no clue, but it doesn’t matter. It’ll be fun, trust me.”

   Finn nodded, though he knew full well that it wouldn’t be.

__________

   To Finn’s chagrin, Rachel’s party wasn’t limited to the few people within their friendship group. When word got out that Rachel’s parents would be out of town for the weekend, an unfathomable amount of people were intrigued by the idea of a party.

   “Are you guys planning on going to Rachel’s banger this weekend?” Mercedes asked Kurt and Tina, who were sitting across from her on Kurt’s bedroom floor. Tina shook her head in response, Kurt having a similar reaction when he rolled his eyes and laughed.

   “Do I look like the kind of person who would go to a party? Especially not one thrown by Rachel Berry,” Kurt laughed again. “Besides, I doubt they would want us there, anyway. We would kill their vibe, or whatever.”

   “Oh, come on guys,” Mercedes urged. “I think it will be fun, even if we go solely to crash their party. We all deserve a chance to let loose.” When Kurt continued to shake his head, Mercedes wiggled her eyebrows and grinned. “You know Blaine’s going to be there. You’ll be able to see possibly the sexiest guy on the planet somewhere other than school.”

   “Yeah, I’ll get to see the sexiest guy on the planet sucking face with Rachel Berry for hours on end. I’ll pass on that one,” Kurt refuted, confused by Mercedes’s sudden fascination with partying. “Why are you pushing so much for us to go, anyways? Since when are you the partying type?”

   “Yeah, what’s gotten into you?” Tina chimed in.

   “It’s just…we’re seventeen years old now and we’ve never done anything even remotely wild,” Mercedes defended, suddenly shy. “I just thought it would be something that the three of us could do together – or something we could make fun of if it totally sucks.”

   Kurt and Tina both laughed, exchanging looks.

   “Fine, I’ll go,” Tina gave in. “I’ll give it an hour, and if I’m not having any fun, I’m leaving.” Mercedes cheered, giving Tina a high five. She turned to look at Kurt, hoping for the same response from him.

   “Fine,” Kurt sighed. “But I’m telling you right now that I’m not going to be drinking any alcohol. Oh, and we have to be really discreet about it. If my dad finds out I went to a party, he’ll actually kill me.”

   Mercedes pulled Kurt and Tina in for a hug. “We’re going to have so much fun!”

   Kurt, on the other hand, had never dreaded the thought of anything in his life more than he was dreading this party.

__________

   When Kurt walked into Rachel’s house and was forced to gaze at numerous teenagers drinking, smoking, screaming, or fondling each other, he knew his reasons for dreading the party were justifiable. Kurt had barely stepped in the door when thoughts about leaving had already begun circling around in his mind.

   “If this is what parties are like, I’m really not convinced that I’ve been missing out on anything all these years,” Kurt mumbled to Mercedes, whose arm was linked with Tina’s. Mercedes responded with a roll of her eyes, nudging Kurt forwards so she could proceed into the party.

   Mercedes didn’t respond to Kurt’s comment. Instead, she squeezed Kurt’s shoulder when she spotted Blaine. “There he is, Kurt. Sexy as ever.”

   Mercedes wasn’t wrong. Once Kurt noticed where Mercedes was looking and spotted Blaine in the crowd, he couldn’t tear his eyes from him. He was wearing a tank that hugged his body and showed off his arms nicely and tight pants. Blaine’s hair was perfectly coiffed, his head thrown back in laughter in response to something Sam must have said. He was undeniably breathtaking, and Kurt couldn’t stand it.

   “Kurt, can you stop undressing Blaine with your eyes long enough to listen to me?” Tina snapped her fingers in front of his face, pulling him out of his trance.

   “What?”

   “Did you even hear anything I said?” Tina criticized, Kurt’s face reddening with shame.

   “No, sorry. What did you say?”

   Tina sighed and grabbed Kurt’s arm, pulling him towards Mercedes – he hadn’t even noticed that she crossed to the other side of the room to fix herself a drink. “I asked if you wanted anything to drink,” Tina told him, slight frustration and annoyance in her voice. “I know you said you didn’t want any alcohol, so what do you want? Soda? Water?”

   “I’ll just have Coke,” Kurt replied, taking the can from Tina once she retrieved it from the cooler.

   “Now let’s go try and enjoy ourselves,” Tina insisted, smiling when she recognized the song that was playing. “Hey, at least Rachel has good music taste.”

   Kurt nodded in agreement – he couldn’t deny that “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers was a good song. Tina headed towards where a crowd of people were dancing, motioning for Kurt to follow. Kurt allowed himself to let loose a little, dancing to the music. Soon after, Kurt found himself staring at Blaine once again. Blaine was dancing along with Rachel, Puck, and Santana, seemingly having a good time.

   Blaine was clearly intoxicated, his energetic dancing being the biggest indication. He was clearly enjoying himself, shouting the lyrics to the song and grabbing Rachel’s hand to spin her around. Puck seemed to be just as drunk, pulling Santana impossibly closer as they danced not-so-graciously with the music.

   “Are you having fun?” The sudden sound of Mercedes’s voice snapped Kurt out of his thoughts.

   “I guess,” Kurt responded semi-honestly. “At least, more fun than Finn seems to be having.”

   Mercedes followed Kurt’s gaze to look at Finn, who was clearly miserable and completely unenthused. He was standing alone in the corner of the room, taking a sip of his drink every so often.

   Moments like these had Kurt considering the possibility that Finn was even less social than him, but up until now, he didn’t think that was achievable.

__________

   “What’s up with you lately, Finn? You just seem so…out of it,” Sam finally approached Finn when he noticed the guy was standing by himself in the corner. Finn didn’t say anything, bringing his cup back up to his lips to avoid responding. “Come at least try to have fun. And wait…are you drinking soda? No wonder you’re so unresponsive. Do you want me to get you a beer?”

   Finn shook his head. “I’m fine, Sam. Just leave me alone.”

   Sam sighed, unconvinced. “No, something’s clearly bothering you. You can tell me, you know.”

   “I can’t,” Finn finally admitted. “It’s stupid and I want it to stay a secret.”

   “Dude, just tell me. I’m so pissed drunk that I probably won’t even remember that you told me anything. Just say it, whatever it is. Get it off your chest,” Sam encouraged. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

   Finn thought about it for a moment before finally giving in. “Okay, but you can’t tell anyone.”

   “I won’t.”

   “I mean it,” Finn said, his tone incredibly serious. “If this gets out, it would ruin everything.”

   “I know, I know. I promise I won’t tell anyone. Now just say it already before I lose my patience.” Sam waited anxiously for a response, his mind swirling with possibilities of what it could be.

   “I’m in love with Rachel.”

   Sam’s eyes went wide. “Dude, that’s not cool. Blaine’s –”

   “My best friend, I know,” Finn completed Sam’s sentence, guilt running through him when Sam confirmed just how awful this situation was. “And Rachel’s his girlfriend, and I could never do that to him. I’m not going to try and take her from him if that’s what you’re worried about, but I’m also not going to stop feeling this way.”

   “You’ve got to try and get over her.”

   Finn laughed coldly. “You think I haven’t tried?”

   “Then you need to try harder. You _have_ to move on.” Sam reminded.

   “It’s just…there are no other girls like her,” Finn explained. “Yeah, they’re hot and all, but they’re not Rachel. Who would I even go after if I were to try?”

   Sam scanned the crowd, and idea popping into his head. “How about Quinn? She’s hot, popular, and available. Why don’t you go try and talk to her?” Sam motioned to where she was standing, she and Brittany standing alongside each other and conversing away from the crowd. Before Finn could resist, Sam was already nudging him in her direction. “Go. Let me know what happens later.”

   Finn was reluctant, but he did as he was told.

   Maybe something good would come out of this night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't even know what this chapter was. It wasn't planned - I wasn't originally going to make Rachel throw a party, but it just happened impulsively, I guess. Anyway, what do you guys think so far? What do you think of all the characters? I'll (hopefully) be posting again soon!


	4. Impressions

   As the party carried on, the music got louder and the guests got drunker. Even when engulfed in a sea of drunken teenagers, Kurt insisted that he would avoid any and every alcoholic beverage he was offered. Mercedes made no such promise – she was far from being considered totally intoxicated, but she was definitely tipsy. Tina allowed herself one drink, not having any more in fear that she would do something incredibly stupid.

   “I think we should head out,” Kurt yelled to his friends over the music. “I’m partied-out.”

   “Can we stay for just one more song?” Mercedes practically begged him. “I promise we can leave after that. I heard Rachel say that they were going to turn off the music and have some people sing karaoke. I think it will be interesting to see who will volunteer.”

   “Maybe we’ll even discover some potential glee club members,” Tina pointed out, looking between her friends with excitement in her voice. “Do you think you can tough it out for one more song, Kurt?”

   Kurt sighed. “I guess. I’ve survived the last few hours, so I guess I can make it a few more minutes.” Mercedes and Tina jumped up and down with anticipation when the last song on Rachel’s playlist ended, eager to hear some live singing. Kurt felt his heart begin to pound in his chest when he watched Blaine and Rachel make their way to the front of the room, microphones in each of their hands.

   “Is everyone having a good time?” Rachel asked into the microphone, earning cheers from the crowd of teenagers. “Blaine and I are going to sing some karaoke for you to keep things interesting. If anyone wants to go after us – although I don’t know why anyone would want to follow this amazing performance – all you have to do is ask.” She smiled over at her boyfriend, and he briefly returned her smile.

   “Okay everybody, this is ‘Don’t You Want Me’ by The Human League!” Blaine announced, a bunch of people clapping in appreciation of the song choice. When the music started and Blaine raised his microphone to his lips, Kurt couldn’t ignore the chills that ran throughout his entire body.

 _You were workin’ as a waitress in a cocktail bar_  
_When I met you_  
_I picked you out, I shook you up and turned you around_  
_Turned you into someone new_

   Saying Kurt was impressed was an understatement. Blaine managed to sing and perform amazingly despite the unhealthy amount of alcohol in his system. It seemed he was capable of anything, and he was truly the sexiest guy Kurt had ever laid eyes on. With his muscle tank clinging tightly to his body and the dash of sweat on his forehead freeing a few curls from his hair gel, Kurt couldn’t help but want him _so_ badly.

 _Now five years later on you’ve got the world at your feet_  
_Success has been so easy for you_  
_But don’t forget, it’s me who put you where you are now_  
_And I can put you back down too_

 _Don’t, don’t you want me?_  
_You know I can’t believe it when I hear that you won’t see me_  
_Don’t, don’t you want me?_  
_You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me_

   Mercedes squeezed Kurt’s arm, momentarily snapping him out of his trance.

    _Breathe, you idiot,_ Kurt scolded himself. _And stop staring so much; you probably look like a creep._

   Kurt had actually forgotten that Rachel was up there too – he was too fixated on Blaine to notice. Tina swayed along with the music, mouthing along with some of the lyrics. Mercedes was cheering noticeably loudly, and Kurt worried for a moment that her screams would draw attention to them.

 _It’s much too late to find_  
_You think you’ve changed your mind_  
_You’d better change it back or we will both be sorry_

 _Don’t you want me, baby?_  
_Don’t you want me, oh_  
_Don’t you want me, baby?_  
_Don’t you want me, oh_

   This was the first time Kurt truly heard Blaine sing – not counting the time when Blaine sang a few lines from Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” along with the radio after Kurt had been brutally slushied. Kurt shook the thought from his head, not wanting to reminisce the iciness of the slushie or the argument with Blaine that ensued.

   Kurt was truly, obviously, unfortunately… a mess.

__________

   “This is it. This is what death feels like,” Blaine grumbled, massaging his temples in hopes of alleviating the pain from his alcohol-induced headache. “I swear, this is the worst hangover I’ve ever had in my life, and God knows I’ve had plenty of them.”

   “Well, you basically tried to drown yourself in alcohol last night,” Rachel reminded him, offering him a glass of water. Blaine sighed, taking the glass from her and gulping down the drink. “What were you thinking?”

   “Clearly, I wasn’t,” Blaine responded quickly, setting the glass down and laying back down in bed. He sighed audibly, pulling the blankets over his head.

   Rachel’s party was undoubtedly intense, tiring out everyone in attendance. The party carried on for an outrageous amount of time; teenagers laughing, drinking, and screaming over the blaring music for hours late into the night. In the midst of all the chaos, Rachel was shocked yet grateful that the cops never came to shut it down. When the party had finally ended, or when the remainder of unwanted guests were finally asked to leave, Rachel allowed a few people to spend the night at her place. Blaine, Santana, Puck, Quinn, and Sam had stayed over, as they were far too intoxicated to drive home.

   Blaine had slept alongside Rachel in her bed, while the others made themselves comfortable in various parts of the house. Quinn stayed on the living room couch with Puck asleep on the floor next to her. Santana slept on the floor next to Rachel’s bed, while Sam occupied the couch adjacent from Quinn’s. None of them had gotten an ideal night’s sleep, but it was definitely preferable to driving home under the influence.

   “Why are you guys screaming?” Santana awoke at Rachel and Blaine’s conversation, clearly in a bad mood. She sat upright and stretched her arms, groaning at the agonizing pain from her headache. “Could you stop talking so loud? My head hurts.”

   “Is everyone still here?” Blaine muttered from beneath the covers, his voice weak and barely perceptible.

   “I think so,” Rachel shrugged. “I could hear Sam snoring from the living room all the way in here last night. I barely got any sleep because of it.”

   As if on cue, Sam appeared in Rachel’s bedroom doorway. His hair was slightly disheveled in the back, his clothes in a similar state. Sam ran a hand through his mess of hair and looked around the room with tired eyes. “Sorry, I had trouble sleeping last night and I tend to snore when I can’t find a comfortable sleeping position.”

   “ _You_ were uncomfortable?” Santana sneered, annoyance evident in her voice. “I slept on the _floor_. You had a couch. I don’t want to hear it.”

   Quinn and Puck came stumbling in the room shortly after, looking just as exhausted and achy as everyone else. Quinn advanced into the bedroom, heading over towards Rachel’s make-up mirror to fix her hair.

   “Remind me again why I continuously let myself get disgustingly drunk when I party? I swear I can’t remember a single time where I didn’t regret it the next morning,” Quinn said, combing her fingers through the knots in her hair. Nobody had an answer for her question, but then again, she hadn’t really been expecting one. “I didn’t do anything too stupid, did I? Oh no, I did, didn’t I?”

   “If you would consider shoving your tongue down Finn Hudson’s throat as something stupid, then yes, you did something stupid.” Puck blurted, leaving Quinn speechless with shock. Her face turned beet red, hoping one of her friends would laugh because it was only a joke or assure her that Puck was only messing with her. She would be fine with either, as neither option consisted of her messing around with a guy.

   Neither of those things happened.

   “Shit, I don’t even remember that happening,” Quinn tugged at her hair nervously. “Was he drunk? How did it happen? Did he come on to me, or did I come on to him? Never mind, don’t answer that. I don’t think I want to know.” Everyone else in the room exchanged looks, none of them wanting to say the wrong thing and risk becoming the target for Quinn’s wrath – it didn’t take long for any of them to recognize that Quinn became quite scary when she was displeased and indignant.

   “So… what’s for breakfast?” Sam attempted a subject change to avoid a potentially awkward and uncomfortable situation. Quinn scolded Sam for possibly overstaying his welcome, but Sam was unaffected; he figured she was simply projecting her feelings of uneasiness from the party onto him.

   Unable to accept fault for her own actions, Quinn had a tendency to blame others.

__________

   The kids quickly discovered that glee club on Monday was the least bearable of them all, as a good portion of them were still recovering from Rachel’s party. With Mike and Artie being the only two glee club members who weren’t in attendance of Rachel’s party, they were the only ones – other than Kurt, who didn’t have a single alcoholic beverage all night – who weren’t itching to leave.

   Fortunately for the kids, Artie was performing today, and him performing meant none of the others would have to. Honestly, most of the glee club members didn’t think they could perform in this state even if they wanted to.

   Artie ended up singing Billy Idol’s “Dancing with Myself,” and even though most of the kids failed to understand the song’s significance to Artie’s life, they couldn’t deny that it was a phenomenal performance. After the practice and the kids had finally recovered from the alcohol-filled, chaotic mess that was Rachel’s party, the week seemed to fly by. Following Tina’s fantastic rendition of “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion, Mike rose to the occasion with “Cool” from _West Side Story_.

   Blaine and Rachel were fully aware that all the original glee club members had finished the assignment, and each of them would have to deliver a performance soon. During football practice after school, Blaine made an effort to convince a few of his friends to join glee club. Even with the high probability that they would ignore his plea and turn him down, Blaine figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

   “It’s honestly not that lame. I thought it would be, but it’s not,” Blaine asserted while strapping on some of his football equipment. While unlikely they’d give in and join, Blaine figured his best chances were Finn and Sam; Puck would never join a club like glee.

   “Dude, we’re not joining. Just let it go already,” Finn answered, half annoyed and half amused.

   “Yeah, you know how we feel about it, and nothing you do or say will change anything,” Sam added. “Don’t waste your breath.”

   Blaine sighed; he was unsuccessful so far, but he wasn’t giving up yet. “Okay, just hear me out for a minute,” Blaine started, and when Finn and Sam rolled their eyes, he gave them both a hard stare to signify his sincerity. “Please sit in on one of our practices. I’m actually performing tomorrow, and I would really like for you guys to be there for it. Just one practice – that’s all I’m asking. If you hate it after that, then I promise I won’t push this anymore. I won’t force you to join.”

   Finn and Sam exchanged looks, appearing to consider Blaine’s offer. The looks they gave each other basically say ‘I’ll do it if you do,’ and when Blaine noticed that, he couldn’t help but smile.

   “Fine,” Finn gave in, gesturing to Sam. “We’ll do it. We’ll give your club a chance. _One_ practice, and if it sucks ass –”

   “Which it will,” Sam chimed in.

   “Then you can’t bother us about it anymore.” Finn told Blaine, his excitement increasing.

   “Thank you. Trust me, you’ll love it,” Blaine assured them. “Now let’s finish up with our equipment before Coach sees we aren’t ready, gets pissed, and kicks us off the team.”

__________

   Blaine’s solo performance for his glee assignment couldn’t have gone better. He performed “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears and exceeded his friends’ expectations. While Blaine had performed at Rachel’s party, he had no doubt that Finn and Sam hadn’t paid any attention to it – Sam had been horribly drunk, and Finn spent most of his time with Quinn. Everyone applauded, Blaine’s usual high and mighty attitude fading away when a faint blush crept onto his cheeks.

   “That was outstanding, Blaine,” Mr. Schuester beamed at him, clapping excitedly along with the others. “I see you convinced two of your friends to come to one of our practices.” Mr. Schuester looked towards Finn and Sam. “What do you think, guys? Are either of you thinking about joining after what you saw today? If you decide to join, I would have to exempt you from this specific assignment, because we’re shifting focus to something new after Rachel performs.”

   “If they join and we can convince at least one more person to do the same, we might be able to sing duets for our next assignment!” Tina pointed out enthusiastically. “It would be so much fun! I would love to sing with someone.”

   “That’s a great idea, Tina. I think we could make that happen,” Mr. Schuester nodded to her before glancing back to the two indecisive boys.

   “So what do you say, guys?” Blaine asked his friends.

   “I’m in.” Finn answered, a small smile daring to form on his lips.

   “Me too,” Sam agreed. “Thanks for making us do this, dude.”

   Everyone in the choir room erupted in cheer at their decision. Kurt felt himself begin to smile when he made brief eye contact with Blaine, and the dark-haired boy returned his smile. Kurt could feel a blush creeping onto his cheeks, so he shifted his gaze to the floor before Blaine could notice.

   Once again, Blaine hung behind while everyone else hurried out the door to their next classes. Kurt was just about to leave when he noticed Blaine had stayed back, deciding it would be stupid to pass up a chance to freely interact with his crush.

   “Not too long ago, I was begging you to join glee club. Now you’ve just convinced your friends to join,” Kurt started, Blaine turning to face him the second Kurt began talking.

   Blaine dared to smile. “I guess you’ve left quite the impression on me.”

   “What can I say? I’m incredibly persuasive,” Kurt responded casually, as if his heart wasn’t pounding out of his chest. Kurt paused for a moment, working up the courage to make a comment about Blaine’s performance. “You were amazing today, by the way. You have real talent.”

   Blaine felt himself growing shier. “Thank you. That song…it’s one of my favorites.”

   “Yes, it’s a good one,” Kurt agreed, a question circling in his mind. “You think it describes your life?”

   Blaine nodded. “A hundred percent.” Both boys stared down at the floor, neither of them quite sure on what to say next. Blaine was the one to break the silence. “Well I think I should probably head to class. It was um, nice talking to you again, Kurt.”

   “You too, Blaine.” Kurt told him, knowing he should probably head to class as well. He waited for a few moments before leaving, as he figured it would look strange if he were to walk into class with a huge grin on his face – Kurt figured he would be unsuccessful if he tried to pass off his smile as a result of his excitement to learn. Come on, nobody was ever _that_ excited to go learn.

   And if Kurt thought of Blaine all class, well, nobody had to know.


	5. The Project

   “What if I were to get a bunch of different props and some sort of set for in the background? Do you think I should arrange for that? Blaine, I _must_ go all out for this performance – I know that nobody can sing ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ nearly as well as _the_ Barbra Streisand, but it’s important that I take this seriously.” Rachel spoke her ideas on how to prove herself and cement her superiority that were swarming around in her head, and unfortunately for Blaine, he was around to listen. When Blaine was fairly certain Rachel’s rambling had ceased and he finally had the ability to get a few words in, he took the opportunity to divulge his thoughts on the matter.

   “Rach, seriously? You don’t have to go all out for this performance. All you have to do is get up in front of everyone and sing a song that you can relate to or truly appreciate,” Blaine informed his girlfriend, annoyed yet undeniably amused by her competitivity. “It’s not a contest.”

   “You’re right, it’s not. How could it be when nobody in that room even comes _close_ to my level of talent? I’m so much better than everyone it’s actually ridiculous.” Rachel blathered, earning an eye roll from Blaine. “Now help me choose an outfit.”

   Blaine sighed, grudgingly agreeing to help Rachel. If there was one thing Blaine learned after two years of being with Rachel, it was that arguing with her was completely pointless. He’d never been victorious while in a disagreement with Rachel before, so Blaine knew better than to waste his breath.

__________ 

   Kurt concluded that no matter how often he may get thrown into lockers, kicked around, or slushied, he will never quite get used to the feeling. After enduring years of torture by his peers, Kurt can confidently say that every time he’s felt the sensation of a cold slushie thrown in his face was just as startling as the first. Kurt clutched his books to his chest as he attempted to walk down the hall unnoticed – he figured the best way to secure his safety and lessen the chances of enduring pain and suffering was to try and blend in. He walked past the same rooms and the same people every day, annoyed by yet simultaneously grateful for the lack of change in routine. While doing the same thing every day got boring quickly, Kurt appreciated having a routine. There was something about having a specific schedule that made him feel safer, and he needed all the safety he could get.

   Kurt bowed his head when he saw Blaine walking down the hallway towards him, and Kurt was unsure if he should flash a quick smile in the dark-haired boy’s direction. Kurt didn’t know if he could bear taking the chance just to have his smile possibly returned with a glare, so he ultimately decided against it. Kurt tried not to stare too much – really, he did – but he couldn’t seem to control himself. There was just something about Blaine that was so compelling, and despite the multitude of thoughts in Kurt’s head that told him to stop staring, they were no match for Blaine’s enchanting good looks.

   Kurt quickly shifted his thoughts from Blaine to glee practice today, where Rachel had performed a song that she claimed to have been singing all her life. Kurt had no doubt that was true – the way she sang the song was brilliant and effortlessly beautiful. Rachel was indisputably a huge pain in the ass, but the second she opened her mouth to sing, Kurt couldn’t help but appreciate her talent.

   Kurt was halfway to his next class when he felt someone’s hands grab both of his shoulders tightly. His body instantly grew tense, and he turned his head slightly to see who had been causing him so much fear.

   Of course.

   Puck.

   “Hey Lady,” Puck greeted, dragging him off to the side and tightening his grip on Kurt’s shoulders.

   “Don’t call me that,” Kurt jumped to his own defense. “I’m not a lady.”

   “Are you sure about that? Because that shirt your wearing says otherwise,” Puck laughed. Kurt was well aware that he didn’t dress quite like the average seventeen-year-old boy, but he liked his style. He liked expressing himself through fashion, and if that made him different, then so be it. He wouldn’t change for anyone.

   “Fashion has no gender,” Kurt retorted, but he immediately regretted it when Puck laughed even harder. Puck threw Kurt against the lockers, his face forcefully colliding with the cold metal. Kurt grumbled in pain, and when Puck stayed close to him, he knew the jock wasn’t quite finished with him yet.

   So much for getting to class on time.

   “Hey Anderson,” he heard Puck call out to Blaine, who had apparently stopped walking to his next class so he could chat with Finn and Quinn. When Blaine heard his last name, his head turned to follow the sound. Puck motioned for him to come towards him before his eyes landed on Finn. “You too, Hudson. Come here.”

   Quinn took that as her signal to leave and find someone else to converse with.

   “What’s up?” Finn asked as if he couldn’t see Puck pushing Kurt further into the lockers.

   “There’s a dumpster outside with Hummel’s name written all over it,” Puck smirked. “Let’s toss him in and trap him inside.” Kurt’s heartbeat quickened as he watched Blaine and Finn exchange a look.

   “I don’t know, man,” Blaine started, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

   “What? Are you _actually_ trying to protect Hummel? What are you, his boyfriend?” Puck taunted, purposely trying to make Blaine feel uneasy. Finn stood there awkwardly when Blaine immediately came to his own defense.

   “What? _No_. I would _never_ ,” Blaine reassured Puck. While Kurt was expecting Blaine to respond similar to the way he did, he would be lying if he said it didn’t hurt. He felt his heart sink in his chest like a cold stone.

   “Then why are you being so uptight? We’re doing this,” Puck hollered before grabbing Kurt’s arm and dragging him towards his friends. Puck redirected his attention to Finn. “Hudson, you and I are going to take Hummel outside. Anderson, I’ll let you choose which dumpster to throw him in.”

   Blaine wanted to fight against it, but he knew he shouldn’t. He couldn’t afford to risk his friend making anymore accusations against him. Finn just nodded and did as Puck said, even though it was obvious he felt remorseful for his actions. Blaine probably could have come up with some sort of excuse to get out of it, such as ‘he would be late to class and missing class would affect his grade,’ but he didn’t want to push Puck any further.

   Blaine knew it would only cause more trouble, and he would end up coinciding anyway, so what’s the point?

   As the jocks dragged Kurt towards the nearest exit, Kurt mentally cursed at the students and faculty who made no effort to put a stop to bullying. Kurt attempted to escape their grasp, but after a minute or so with unsuccessful efforts of thrashing himself around, he figured it was hopeless. Once they were outside, Puck asked Blaine which dumpster he wanted Kurt to be thrown into. Blaine hesitantly pointed to the nearest one, trying to avert his eyes from Kurt. He didn’t think he could handle looking into his sad eyes right now.

   “Ready, Puck?” Finn asked, he and Puck hoisting Kurt up.

   Puck nodded, laughing as he watched Kurt’s powerless body. “Any last words, Lady Boy?”

   “One day, you all will work for me,” Kurt muttered before crashing face first into a pile of garbage. Kurt could hear Puck laughing and high fiving the other guys before he reached for the dumpster’s lid.

   “Wait…don’t close him in there,” Finn said. “He’ll like, suffocate or something.”

   Blaine was happy that Finn spoke up so he didn’t have to.

   Puck sighed. “What is with you guys today? You’re making it seem like you actually _care_ about him,” Puck snapped before letting out an exasperated sigh. The two boys remained silent, not wanting to agitate Puck any further. Puck shook his head and reluctantly stepped away from the dumpster. “You’re lucky this time, Hummel. Apparently, Blaine and Finn wanted to have mercy on you. Don’t get used to it.”

   With that, Kurt was left in a pile of garbage. Part of him wanted to cry, but he was angrier than anything else. When he was certain nobody was around, he stood up to his best ability and made an effort to climb out of the dumpster. It took him a few tries, but he was out soon enough. He quickly examined his clothes, which had at least five different kinds of stains on them. Kurt smoothed out his shirt before heading back inside for his next class.

   With his disheveled appearance and late arrival, he would definitely be making an entrance.

__________

   “You two joined? _Seriously_?” Puck was not shy of voicing his discontent over his friends joining glee club. “Is this your way of telling me you’re gay?”

   Sam rolled his eyes. “Lay off, dude. It’s just a club.”

   “A gay club,” Puck emphasized.

   “It’s not a gay club, Noah,” Rachel defended. The three of them were sitting along with Blaine, Finn, Brittany, Quinn, and Santana in Finn’s living room. When they weren’t at Rachel’s, the group of friends liked to hang out at Finn’s – his mom’s home was comfortable and welcoming.

   “I actually think you would like it,” Finn said, shoving a handful of the popcorn he was eating into his mouth.

   Puck rolled his eyes. “I’m _not_ joining. Ever.”

   “It sounds kind of fun,” Brittany said cautiously, afraid of her friends’ reactions. Rachel gushed about how much Brittany would enjoy it and even complimented her singing abilities, although Rachel made it very clear that no one could ever be better than her. Brittany looked over at Santana, who matched her enthusiasm with a smile.

   “If Britt’s in, you can count me in,” Santana agreed.

   “Well now I _have_ to join,” Quinn chimed in. “I’m not going to be the only one of us girls who isn’t a part of something.”

   “Looks like the glee club just gained three new members,” Blaine pointed out, reaching over and taking the popcorn bowl from Finn. He took a handful before passing the bowl over to Quinn, who was impatiently reaching for it.

__________

   When Brittany, Quinn, and Santana showed up at the next glee rehearsal, the members of New Directions were exceptionally shocked. In a short amount of time, the club had grown from five people to twelve. Mr. Schuester greeted the new members with a wide smile, appreciative that so many students were willing to join his club lately.

   “I see we have some new faces in here,” Mr. Schuester said. “Now I can finally give the assignment I’ve been looking forward to giving. Since we have an even number of people, I think it’s the perfect time to have an assignment based on duets. What do you guys think about that?” Everyone seemed to be thrilled by the idea, but nobody was happier than Tina – after all, it was her suggestion.

   Rachel looked over at Blaine and smiled. “This is going to be so great! I already have the perfect song for me and Blaine –”

   “Actually, I’m not letting you pick your partners. I want everyone in here to get the chance to sing with someone they might not know very well, so I’m going to pair you up randomly.” Mr. Schuester broke the news, and Rachel was suddenly less eager. “I’m going to write all of your names on pieces of paper for tomorrow. Then, each of you will come up one by one and pick a name. Whoever’s name you pull will be who you’re singing with. Also, I’m going to have each pair sing three songs instead of just one. I’m interested in hearing how your voices blend together in different songs.”

   “We get to choose the songs though, right?” Finn asked.

   “Yes, but you and your duet partner will have to agree, and make sure you let me know what your three songs are going to be as soon as possible. I have to make sure that no two groups are singing the same songs,” Mr. Schuester clarified. “If you decide later on that a song you chose isn’t working, I want you to prepare a back-up song. Make sure you clear the new song with me first, though. If you find you aren’t getting along with your duet partner, which I’m hoping won’t be a problem, come talk to me and we’ll figure something out.”

   Kurt couldn’t wait to find out who he was going to be singing with. He looked around the room, considering how he would feel if he was paired up with each person in the choir room. He glanced over at Mercedes first, the thought of the two of them singing together made him smile. Mercedes had one of the best singing voices Kurt had ever had the privilege of hearing, and he knew they would work well together. He thought similarly of his other best friend, Tina, curious of how their voices would sound together. When Kurt thought of being paired with Rachel, he couldn’t help but shudder. She was incredibly talented, but she was clearly a handful and seemed extremely difficult to work with. How could Rachel, who was used to being in the spotlight and receiving all the attention, possibly be a fair partner to sing a duet with?

   Kurt’s mind then shifted to singing with either Artie or Mike, and he honestly wasn’t sure of how that might go. Kurt’s voice contrasted greatly from Artie’s or Mike’s, but then again, that might make for a great duet. When Kurt thought of singing with Brittany, Quinn, or Santana, he didn’t know what to think of it. He hadn’t heard any of them sing before and he was incredibly unfamiliar with their personalities. Although, wasn’t the whole point of the assignment to become acquainted with people you see every day but know hardly anything about? Kurt was scared that he might get paired up with Finn or Sam. He was scared that singing with either of them would mean he would have to tolerate harassment in the one place he felt safe, and he wasn’t sure he was okay with that.

   Kurt felt his spine tingle at the possibility of singing with _Blaine_. He wasn’t sure how we would react if it were to happen; he would be overjoyed, of course, but Blaine was outrageously intimidating. He was an excellent singer, but that’s not the only thing that made the guy so intimidating. For one, he didn’t treat Kurt very well during school hours, so the idea of spending time alone with him for a project was sort of unnerving.

   Still, Kurt couldn’t stop himself from hoping that he would draw the slip of paper with Blaine’s name on it.


	6. Easy Conversation

   Kurt strolled into the choir room with a wide grin on his face – he was moments away from finding out who his duet partner was going to be. He barely slept at all last night, as he couldn’t stop running through the possible duet combinations in his head. He waved at Mercedes and Tina when he noticed they’d beaten him there, the two girls motioning for him to come over and take his seat in-between them.

   “Are you excited to find out who you’re going to sing with?” Mercedes asked him, enthusiasm clear in her voice. “I’ve been thinking about it since Mr. Schuester had first given us the assignment.”

   “I honestly can’t wait. I was awake all night long thinking about it,” Kurt admitted, grabbing both of his friends’ hands and squeezing them. “I hope I get one of you guys as my duet partner. I didn’t realize just how much I wanted to sing with both of you until the idea of a duet was mentioned.”

   Tina smiled, pointing at the door with her free hand. “Hey, there’s Mr. Schue. We’re about to find out!”

   Kurt and Mercedes turned to where Tina was pointing, exchanging smiles when they spotted their teacher. Mr. Schuester was carrying a small box under his arm, and Kurt knew right away that it was filled with the slips of paper containing their names. He set the box down on top of the piano, waiting until some of the cheering and excited clapping had died down before speaking again.

   “Alright kids. I will call you up one by one to reach in and pick a name, and that’s who you will be singing with,” Mr. Schuester explained. “And just so we’re clear, there will be no exchanging names with others once you’ve pulled one. Who you get is who you get, and like I said before, if you find that your partner is difficult to work with while trying to complete the assignment, come talk to me. So, who wants to go first?”

   “Me!” Tina practically jumped up out of her seat. “Can I _please_?”

   Mr. Schuester chuckled. “Sure, Tina. Go ahead.”

   Tina ran excitedly to the piano and reached into the box. She unfolded the small piece of paper, smiling when her duet partner was revealed. “Mike.” She looked over to her boyfriend, who was already smiling.

   After Tina had volunteered, Mr. Schuester started to call out people randomly. The next person he called was Finn, who had pulled Rachel’s name. Finn smiled to himself subtly, hoping nobody would notice just how thrilled he actually was. Quinn went next, cheering when her slip of paper read ‘ _Brittany_.’ Mercedes went next, frowning to herself when she ended up with Santana.

   Kurt was called next, his fingers trembling when he reached into the box and fished around for a slip of paper. At this point, he knew he was either going to be singing with Artie, Sam, or Blaine. When his hands had finally stopped shaking long enough to unfold the piece of paper, his heart felt heavy in his chest when he saw who he was paired with.

   “Blaine,” Kurt read aloud, trying not to show much emotion in his voice. He glanced over at the dark-haired boy, who nodded in response. Kurt tried to bite back the smile that was tugging at his lips when he returned to his seat.

   “I guess that means Artie and Sam will be working together,” Mr. Schuester said. Artie and Sam exchanged an awkward glance. “I will give you a chance to meet up with your partner and swap contact information if necessary. If you were paired up with someone you’re already familiar with, you can begin discussing possible songs to sing. Once you’ve chosen your three songs, you can either tell me when you see me or email them to me. Don’t worry though, this assignment isn’t meant to stress you out. You will have plenty of time to choose your songs and practice them. Okay, go find your partner!”

   Kurt bit his lip, looking around to meet Blaine’s eyes. Blaine stood up and walked over to him, sitting down where Mercedes had been just a little bit ago. The two boys sat in an awkward silence for a few seconds before Blaine finally gave in and spoke first.

   “So, um, you can put your number in my phone,” Blaine said, gracelessly handing his phone to Kurt. Kurt gave Blaine a small smile, reaching out for the phone and creating a contact for himself in the popular boy’s phone.

   “Do you want to put your number in my phone too or should I just wait for you to text me?” Kurt asked, Blaine shrugging in response.

   “Doesn’t matter,” he answered. “I guess I’ll put my number in your phone.”

   Kurt tried to hide the blush that was slowly beginning to form on his cheeks. Even if it was for a project, he never thought Blaine Anderson would ever give him his phone number. When Blaine had finished entering his information, he gave Kurt his phone back. The two found themselves sitting in silence once again for a little.

   “Where and when do you want to get together?” Kurt asked.

   “Uh, maybe we could go to my place?” Blaine suggested, and Kurt nodded slowly in response. “I should be free this Sunday if that works for you.”

   “Yeah, that works,” Kurt told him. “Would you want to do it around, say, three o’clock?”

   “Fine with me,” Blaine said with a small smile. “I’ll text you my address.”

   With that, the bell that signified the end of glee practice rang. The kids began to scurry out of the room, and he waved goodbye to Blaine before turning to leave. He caught up with Mercedes and Tina, who were instantly cooing and nudging him in the side. This time, Kurt allowed himself to blush.

   “Blaine, huh?” Mercedes teased. “I can’t believe you pulled his name. This is so great.”

   “Is it?” Kurt asked with a slight chuckle. He didn’t want to come off as too enthusiastic, even though he was practically bursting with joy. It didn’t take long for Kurt to notice a particular pattern in his life – when he allowed himself to get too excited about something, he usually ended up disappointed and heartbroken. “I mean, it’s just a duet.”

   “Kurt, come on,” Tina urged, linking their arms. “Let yourself be excited. At least I would be excited if I were you. Blaine’s like, _insanely_ hot and you’ve been crushing on him for years. Now’s your chance to get to know the guy.”

   “Yes, okay. I know Blaine’s insanely hot, and I would love to get to know him, but I can’t let myself get _too_ excited. Even if Blaine and I were to become really close – which, we won’t – it’s not like he’ll end up becoming my boyfriend. He’s still straight, popular, dating Rachel Berry, and too hot for me.” Kurt sighed.

   “Stop it, Kurt,” Mercedes wouldn’t allow him to wallow in self-pity. “Any guy would be lucky to be with you. You’re a huge catch, okay? And yeah, Blaine’s straight and there’s nothing you can do to change that, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find someone insanely hot.” Mercedes paused so she could watch Kurt’s reaction. When he smiled at her, she continued. “And stop being so hard on yourself. Blaine’s not the only hot guy at this school – you’re hot too, you know.”

   Kurt blushed at the compliment. “You really think I’m hot?”

   “Absolutely,” Tina assured him, smiling. “Hey, don’t forget to tell us how it goes with Blaine. When are you guys meeting up?”

   Kurt rolled his eyes lovingly at his best friend, who was definitely too eager for her own good. “I won’t forget. And we’re hanging out this Sunday at his house. I’m honestly terrified; I actually feel like I might shit my pants.”

   Mercedes and Tina erupted in fits of laughter at that, assuring him that he would be fine and definitely wouldn’t shit himself. The three of them huddled together in a quick group hug before parting ways for class.

   With a smile on his face, Kurt headed to his next class thinking about his amazing best friends.

__________

   When Sunday had finally rolled around, Kurt was a bundle of nerves. He woke up extra early that morning, wanting to give himself plenty of time to get ready for Blaine. Kurt had changed his outfit five times before settling on the one he was wearing now. He was wearing a beige, long-sleeved shirt along with a black vest and a small neckerchief. Once he was satisfied with his hair, he glanced over at the alarm clock on his bedside table for the time. It was only 2:15; he still had a full forty-five minutes before he was expected at Blaine’s.

   He headed downstairs and decided to have a small snack to pass the time. When he walked into the kitchen, he noticed his dad sitting at the table. Burt glanced at his son’s outfit, a knowing look on his face.

   “Well aren’t you dressed up,” Burt commented. “I mean, you’re always dressed up, but now you’re _dressed up_. What’s the occasion?”

   “I’m not dressed up,” Kurt tried to argue, but eventually gave up when his dad gave him one of his looks. “Okay, fine. Maybe I am a little dressed up. I’m going to Blaine’s soon to work on an assignment.”

   “Wait, is this the same Blaine that you have a crush on? The one I always hear you gushing about to Mercedes and Tina? That Blaine?” Burt questioned his son, causing Kurt to blush.

   “Yes, Dad. It’s _that_ Blaine,” Kurt chuckled, heading over to the fridge and deciding on an apple for a snack. He bit into the fruit, chewing most of it before continuing. “We got paired up to sing a few songs together for glee club. It’s no big deal.”

   “I think it’s a bigger deal to you than you’re letting on,” Burt pointed out, unable to hide his grin. “You’re dressed up, for goodness sake. You’ll have to let me know how it goes, okay? Be careful, by the way. Don’t let this Blaine guy try anything –”

   Kurt laughed. “Nothing’s going to happen, believe me. He’s straight as an arrow.”

   “Either way, I want you to be safe,” Burt advised. “If he’s mean to you or if you feel uncomfortable at any time, I want you to come home. Got it?”

   “Yes, Dad,” Kurt feigned annoyance, but he was actually happy that his dad cared so much. By the time he’d finished his apple and he was done chatting with his dad, it was time for Kurt to go. “Well, I’d better head over. I’m leaving a little early because I have no idea where Blaine lives. He texted me his address, but I’m sure I’ll get lost on the way there. Bye, Dad!”

   “Bye, Kurt,” Burt hollered to his son, who was already halfway out the door.

__________

   Kurt found himself standing on Blaine’s doorstep at approximately 3:01. He didn’t get as lost as he suspected he would, but he wasn’t exactly early. Kurt took a deep breath before knocking on the door, and when Blaine came to the door in a tight sweater and jeans, Kurt nearly forgot how to breathe.

   “Hey,” Blaine greeted, opening the door so Kurt could go inside. “You can leave your shoes by the door if you want and then I figured we would sit in the living room.”

   “Okay cool,” Kurt responded, slipping off his shoes and tossing them aside. He followed Blaine to the living room, taking in his surroundings. Blaine’s house was really nice – it wasn’t too fancy, but it was plenty larger and cleaner than Kurt’s. Kurt sat down on the couch, allowing himself to get comfortable.

   “Wait here, I’m going to get a water,” Blaine told him. “Do you want anything to drink?”

   “Um, I’ll have a water, too.”

   “Be right back. You can um, use one of the blankets there if you get cold,” Blaine informed him before heading to the kitchen. Kurt did as Blaine suggested, wrapping himself up in one of the blankets while he waited for the boy to come back.

   Blaine handed Kurt a water, and Kurt muttered a ‘thank you’ before screwing off the lid and taking a sip. Blaine was the one to break the silence, as usual. “I know you came so we could decide what songs to sing, but I figured we should probably spend some time getting to know each other first. I mean, I know literally nothing about you, and wasn’t the point of the assignment to get to know our duet partners?”

   Kurt was surprised, but he tried his hardest not to show it. “Okay well, what do you want to know?”

   “Whatever you’re willing to share,” Blaine responded, taking a drink of his water.

   “Okay,” Kurt started, suddenly feeling as if there was nothing to share. “Let’s see. Um, I’m Kurt, I’m a Gemini, I love to sing…” he paused for a moment, wracking his brain for more facts about himself. “I’m an only child, I’m really close with my dad, and…I cry every time I watch _The Notebook_.”

   Blaine found himself chuckling at that last fact. “Do you really?”

   “Yes, I basically cry at everything,” Kurt answered, laughing as well. When Blaine continued laughing, Kurt came to his own defense. “Hey, it’s sad, okay? What kind of person doesn’t cry when Allie forgets who Noah is in her old age?”

   “Okay fine, I’ll give you that,” Blaine settled down. “That was sad.”

   “Thank you. Now tell me about you.”

   Blaine thought for a moment before speaking. “Alright. I have an older brother, I love to play football and sing, my middle name is Devon, my birthday is in February…” he stopped to think some more. “I’ve been with my girlfriend for a little over two years and I never leave the house without wearing hair gel.”

   “Other than the fact that your middle name is Devon and you were born in February, I know literally all of those things,” Kurt admitted. “Tell me something interesting. What’s something very few people know about you?”

   Kurt knew he was pushing, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. This was his chance to find out as much about Blaine as the boy would let him. Blaine grew silent for bit, but he eventually thought of something to say.

   “Okay, I have something.”

   “Do tell,” Kurt insisted, taking another sip of water.

   “I have this huge fear of being misunderstood by others,” Blaine confessed, shifting his position and sitting upright. “I don’t know why it bothers me so much, but it does. It’s something I’ve feared for as long as I can remember.”

   “That sounds like a pretty normal fear, though. I’m sure plenty of people don’t like being misunderstood,” Kurt said. “At least, I personally don’t like it when people don’t understand me.”

   “Well, no one _likes_ to be misunderstood, Kurt. I’m saying that I actually can’t handle being misunderstood,” Blaine clarified, taking a breath. “Even if it’s over the smallest thing, I can’t stand feeling like someone doesn’t understand where I’m coming from or what I’m talking about. That’s why I’m usually such a talker.”

   “Interesting,” Kurt commented, surprised yet overjoyed that Blaine actually shared something personal with him. “I would say I have two main fears. One of them, believe it or not, is singing in public.”

   “Really? But you’re in glee club. All we do in there is sing publicly.” Blaine said confusedly.

   “I know it probably doesn’t make any sense, but it’s true,” Kurt asserted. “While I love to sing, I’ve never been very confident with my voice. I usually save my singing for the shower, but Mercedes and Tina insisted that my voice ‘deserves to be heard.’ I’m usually fine once I’ve started singing, but it’s hard to get myself to do it. I usually have to force myself.”

   “Wow.”

   “Another exception to that fear is if it’s a song I really, really love, because that way my appreciation for the song can overpower my fear of singing it,” Kurt went on. “That’s still probably extremely confusing to you. I’m sorry, it’s hard to explain.”

   “No, no. It actually makes sense,” Blaine reassured him. “What’s your other fear?”

   “Disappointing people I love.”

   “That seems fair,” Blaine responded, readjusting his position again and moving slightly closer to Kurt. Blaine leaned against the couch, holding his head up with his arm. “Do you feel like you do? Disappoint others, I mean.”

   Kurt nodded slowly. “Sometimes, yeah. Like I said earlier, my dad and I are really close, but sometimes I feel like I’m not the person he wants me to be. I don’t think I’m anything like the son he imagined he would have.”

   “Maybe that’s a good thing,” Blaine implied, giving Kurt a moment to consider the idea. “Maybe you’re better.”

   Kurt smiled at that, unsure how the conversation escalated so quickly, but he was glad it did. He and Blaine continued to talk about everything and nothing, both of them amazed at how easy it was to say what was on their minds.

   When it was time for Kurt to leave, neither boy seemed to notice or care that they hadn’t had the chance to talk about their duet. It wasn’t a big deal, though; after all, there was always next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked that this chapter was more focused on Kurt and Blaine! It's also slightly longer than usual. :)
> 
> Anyways, for the part where I discussed Kurt and Blaine's fears, I actually did some research. Back in his video with Tyler Oakley, Darren mentioned his fear of being misunderstood. Similarly, Chris revealed his fear of public singing during an interview. So, there is some truth to this fic.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! :)


	7. You Must Feel Special

   When Kurt had finally left Blaine’s place and arrived at home, it was 9:30 at night. Kurt closed the door behind him once he stepped into the house, startled when he turned around to see his dad standing before him.

   “Geez, Dad. You scared the crap out of me,” Kurt clutched his chest, laughing slightly.

   “Actually, _you_ scared the crap out of _me_ ,” Burt retorted, Kurt’s eyebrow furrowed in confusion. “You left here a little before three.” Burt stopped to check his watch. “It’s half past nine. I guess I’ve just been wondering where you’ve been and what you were doing.”

   “You know that I was with Blaine.”

   “And you didn’t think to text me back when I asked how you were or answer any of my calls? I was worried something might have happened to you,” Burt raised his voice slightly, unable to mask his concern.

   “I’m sorry. Blaine and I were talking and I guess I just got distracted. I wasn’t ignoring you if that’s what you were thinking,” Kurt cleared the air. “We were just deep into conversation and neither of us were aware of the time.”

   Kurt’s thoughts went back to his time spent with Blaine and how he couldn’t stop feeling like he got to see a side of him not many others had the privilege of seeing. Kurt loved that his feelings of fear and vulnerability had vanished the moment Blaine began sharing personal information with him. Kurt learned all about how Blaine’s older brother, Cooper, was very critical and domineering when they were younger, but the two boys were quite close now. He learned that Blaine could play both guitar and piano quite skillfully and that he has a major cat and dog allergy despite his intense love for animals.

   Kurt had also revealed a good bit about himself, too. After the boys had discussed their fears, Kurt lightened the conversation with a humorous story about the time his father walked in on him dancing to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” It was hard to get Blaine to stop laughing after that, but Kurt didn’t mind. The boy had a beautiful laugh along with a beautiful everything else, but there was something about the fact that Kurt was the reason for his sudden happiness that made the sound even lovelier.

   “Kurt? Are you with me?” Kurt awoke from his brief trance to the image of his dad snapping his fingers in his face. “Now, you know I don’t have a problem with you staying out late. As long as you remember to keep me updated and tell me when you’re going to be coming home, I’ll be content. Just…next time, promise me you’ll answer your phone.”

   Kurt smiled guiltily. “I promise. I really am sorry for worrying you.”

   “Anyways, how did it go? What songs did you two decide to sing for your duets?”

   Kurt suddenly grew bashful. “We actually didn’t um, get that far.”

   “So, it didn’t come up? Isn’t that like, the first step of the process? What do you mean you didn’t get that far?” Burt questioned him. “Tell me you _at least_ brainstormed some possibilities.”

   “Well, when I got there, Blaine brought up the fact that he and I barely knew anything about each other. He suggested that we get to know one another, so we ended up spending the whole time talking and connecting.” Kurt bit his lip, unable to read the expression on his dad’s face. “It’s okay, though. We have plenty of time to decide what songs we want to sing. Blaine said we could get together again soon and talk about it.”

   Kurt was unsure how to react when Burt sighed and muttered something incomprehensible beneath his breath.

   “What?”

   “It’s just not what I expected, I guess,” Burt confessed with a slight shake of his head. “After we talked earlier, I connected the dots and remembered that Blaine is one of the guys who has been causing you trouble at school. You had me thinking he was some conceited jerk, so forgive me if I’m a little shocked that you enjoyed yourself – even if you’re crushing on the guy.”

   “You know, I thought he was a conceited jerk, too,” Kurt nodded his head, fixating his gaze on the floor. “But maybe that’s just what he wanted me to think. You’re right, he was never very nice to me at school, but I realized tonight that he’s actually a pretty decent guy once you get to know him. I got the feeling that there’s this whole other side of him that he’s been hiding away from everyone, or at least from me.”

   “Maybe,” Burt took Kurt’s words into consideration, motioning for him to move the conversation into the living room where it was more comfortable. Burt sat down on the couch alongside his son, getting himself situated before continuing. “I still think it’s wrong that he’s only nice to you when he knows nobody will be around to see it. I’m glad he was nice to you tonight, but you need to stop excusing his actions at school. I understand that you see him as the person you want him to be or as the person he has the potential to become, but that’s not necessarily who he is.” Burt paused, a sigh escaping his lips. “Can I give you one last piece of advice?”

   Kurt nodded hesitantly. “Sure…wait, is it some sort of cheesy cliché?”

   “Yes, but just because it’s cliché doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” Burt reminded. “Kurt, when people show you their true colors, don’t try and repaint them; you’ll only end up disappointed in the end. Blaine needs to prove he’s worthy of your respect before you can give it to him.”

   At that, Kurt frowned. He knew his dad was right, but there was still a huge part of him that wanted to believe Blaine was being genuine; that he wasn’t the smug, inconsiderate asshole he presented himself as at school. When Kurt couldn’t think of a decent way to respond, he decided he was done with the conversation. “I know it’s kind of early, but I think I’m going to go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning, Dad.”

   “Okay. Goodnight,” Burt gave his son’s shoulder a squeeze before watching him stand up to walk away. Kurt turned around and gave his dad a sad smile, one that caused Burt’s heart to ache for him.

   Even if it was something Kurt needed to hear, Burt felt bad for crushing his spirits.

__________

   When lunchtime rolled around on Monday, Kurt knew it was time to tell Mercedes and Tina about his day with Blaine. From the moment Kurt sat down and set his tray on the table, the two girls stared at him with eager smiles.

   “How did things go with Blaine yesterday?” Tina asked first, smiling so wide Kurt was surprised it didn’t hurt.

   “Um, it was nice. We actually ended up talking the whole time, so we didn’t really get anything accomplished,” Kurt said, Mercedes and Tina exchanging glances. “Why are you two looking at each other like that?”

   “I’m just so happy that you and Blaine were actually able to have a nice conversation for once,” Mercedes told him, blowing on her soup to cool it down. “What kinds of things did you guys talk about? How long were you there?”

   “Personal things. I don’t feel comfortable telling you everything we talked about, though. It’s not my place to tell Blaine’s secrets,” Kurt explained. “Well, I’m not really sure if everything he told me were secrets, but either way, it’s none of my business.”

   Mercedes smiled. “That’s understandable. I can respect that.”

   “Thanks,” Kurt continued. “And I was there for a while, actually. I went over there around three and didn’t get back home until around 9:30.” Once again, Mercedes and Tina exchanged a look.

   “Sounds like a pretty long time to sit and do nothing but talk,” Tina commented, glancing at Mercedes to see if she agreed. When Mercedes nodded, Kurt felt himself beginning to smile and blush.

   “I guess, yeah,” Kurt wanted to change the subject before his friends would notice his blush. “Anyways, how are both of your duet assignments going? Did either of you decide on what songs you want to sing yet?”

   “Yes, actually. Mike and I have decided on ‘Sing!’ from _A Chorus Line_ for one of our songs,” Tina gushed. “I’m not sure what else we’re going to sing, though. We’ve already started practicing our one song and it seems to be going pretty well.”

   “I have no idea what Santana wants to do,” Mercedes rolled her eyes, clearly unenthused. “The girl hates me. You know she wouldn’t even give me her number? She said if I want to talk to her, I have to go searching for her and approach her when no one is around to see her talking to me.”

   Kurt gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, ‘Cedes.”

   “It’s just a shame. I was really looking forward to this assignment until I got paired with her,” Mercedes shook her head, looking at Tina and then to Kurt. “I’m sorry I’m bumming you out with my drama. I know you didn’t talk about it with Blaine, but are there any songs you might like to sing?”

   “I would absolutely love to sing ‘Come What May’ from _Moulin Rouge_. It’s only the greatest love song ever written,” Kurt informed them. That song was one of Kurt’s all-time favorites; he was a firm believer that singing the song to someone or having it sung to him would be a more intimate act than sex. “But I know Blaine would never go for that, and the last thing I need is to sing a love song with a straight guy only to have Puck push me around for, as he puts it, _spreading the gay_.”

   Tina smiled sadly. “Kurt…”

   “It’s okay, really. I’m okay.” Kurt verified, placing his hand on top of hers in an attempt to relieve her worries. “There are plenty of great songs we could sing together that shouldn’t give Puck or anymore of Blaine’s friends the wrong idea.”

   Mercedes and Tina looked at him as if they were waiting for him to list some examples. Kurt didn’t answer, instead he took a sip of his drink and evaded their eyes. He looked straight ahead and spotted Blaine sitting in his usual spot at his usual table, surrounded by the same people. Rachel was sitting on the right side of him, her hand gripping Blaine’s thigh underneath the table in a way that made Kurt nauseous. Finn was on Blaine’s left, talking his ear off about something Kurt probably didn’t care about – football, maybe? Kurt stared a little too long; he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d blinked.

   Kurt was just about to turn away when he realized Blaine had caught his eye. Kurt continued to stare at him, waiting for the boy to further acknowledge him. A moment later, the corners of Blaine’s mouth lifted to form a small smile. Kurt quickly smiled back, finally choosing to look away before Blaine’s friends noticed the two of them.

   “Did…did Blaine just smile at you?” Mercedes whispered as if Blaine were sitting right beside them and he might have heard. Kurt looked over at Tina, who was gaping at him. Kurt felt his stomach flip as he thought of Blaine.

   “Yeah, I guess he did.” Kurt confirmed, unable to bite back a smile.

   “I swear that’s the first time any of those guys looked over here where they didn’t glare at us,” Tina pointed out, Mercedes nodding in assent. “You must feel special.”

   Kurt hid his smile behind his sandwich. “I do.”

__________

   “No, dude. I’m not spending my night third-wheeling you and Quinn’s date. It’s not going to happen,” Puck told Finn after football practice, beginning to remove some of his most uncomfortable football equipment.

   Finn rolled his eyes. “Why not? It’ll be fun.”

   “Sounds like the exact opposite of fun, actually.”

   “Well then why don’t you bring Santana? We can all go out to eat or something,” Finn suggested, wiping some of the excess sweat off of his forehead with a towel. “I know this sounds terrible, but I can’t handle being alone with Quinn for too long. Things are always really awkward for some reason, so I would feel better if you and Santana came.”

   Puck shook his head. “Santana and I are actually in the middle of a fight. There’s no way she’s going anywhere with me anytime soon.”

   “What happened now?” Finn expressed his agitation. “I swear you guys can’t go more than two days without arguing.”

   “I honestly don’t even know what I did. All I know is that she’s not speaking to me,” Puck answered, chuckling slightly. He took a seat on the bench, waiting for Finn to hurry up and take off his equipment. Finn and Puck were the last two in the locker room – everyone else had left ten to fifteen minutes ago, but of course Finn had to be frustratingly slow with everything he did. All the guys would rag on him for it, but Finn never put forth the effort to change his ways; he just didn’t care enough to.

   “Please tag along with me and Quinn. I’m begging you.”

   It took some convincing before Puck had grudgingly agreed to go. Finn thanked his friend, and Puck responded with a ‘you owe me one, dude’ speech before they dropped the conversation. When the time rolled around for the three of them to go out to eat, Finn picked Quinn up at her house, trusting that Puck would meet him there like he promised. Surprisingly, Puck was the first to arrive at the restaurant, waving the couple over to the table he was sitting at. Puck shot Finn a glare.

   “You’re late,” Puck notified him. “What took you guys so long?”

   “Hey, I don’t want to hear it. You’re literally always late when we hang out as a group, so forgive me for assuming you wouldn’t arrive on time. I told Quinn she didn’t have to rush to get ready because I know how you are and just figured you wouldn’t be here yet.” Finn countered, sliding in the booth next to Puck. Quinn sat across from Finn, awkwardly picking up and menu and pretending to look through it.

   “Whatever. Let’s just order so we can go.” Puck responded passive-aggressively, his eyes fixating on the menu in front of him. Puck didn’t notice when Finn shot him a cold look, Quinn attempting to calm Finn by reaching over and taking his hand in hers. When the waitress finally came over and took their orders, an uncomfortable silence fell over the three of them. Quinn was the first to break it when she finally gained enough courage to take the risk.

   “I’m sorry that Finn made you come. If you don’t want to be here, I understand. You probably have more interesting things to do,” Quinn told Puck, and he had finally looked up to meet her gaze.

   “No, it’s fine. I’m sorry I’m just being a dick,” Puck apologized, leaving Finn dumbfounded.

   “Yeah you are.” Finn couldn’t help it. Quinn gave her boyfriend a disapproving look.

   Puck surprisingly didn’t argue, and Finn eventually stopped pushing his friend. It took some time, but eventually, Puck loosened up. The three of them were laughing and carrying on as usual, smiling a little too wide at some parts. However, even with all the excitement, Finn couldn’t help but feel as if something was missing.

   Rachel.

   Finn felt extremely guilty for agreeing to date Quinn while he was still hung up on Rachel, but he couldn’t help his feelings. Finn cannot deny that Quinn is a beautiful, charming girl, but he knew from the beginning that she’s just not the girl for him. They’re not right for each other – Finn knew it and he was pretty sure Quinn knew it, too – but Finn didn’t really have a choice. He needed this relationship so that Blaine wouldn’t grow suspicious of his interest in Rachel, especially now that the two were spending so much time together for their duet. He was using Quinn and he felt guilty, but he had no choice.

   Rachel would never like him back, and even if she had, he couldn’t do that to Blaine.


	8. When It Was You and Me

   The next time Kurt gets together with Blaine is Wednesday evening, and once again the two boys were sat in Blaine’s living room, engaged in deep conversation. Kurt had just finished telling Blaine about the time during sophomore year when Mercedes busted the windows of his car when he refused to go out with her. Kurt and Mercedes laugh about it now, but at the time, it was incredibly dramatic and strenuous on their friendship. Blaine was irrefutably shocked yet amused upon hearing the story, curious how the _hell_ he didn’t hear about it when it happened.

   Kurt and Blaine had been talking for almost two hours when Kurt pointed out that they should probably start working on their duet. Blaine seemed quite disappointed when their conversation was cut short, but he also knew the whole reason for Kurt’s being here was their glee assignment, so he quickly got over it. Blaine reached for his laptop, opening his music library and scrolling down through his songs in hopes to find something the two could sing together. Blaine’s face lit up when a certain song caught his eye.

   “ ‘Candles’ by Hey Monday,” Blaine told Kurt, who seemed pretty stimulated by the idea.

   “I’m impressed. You’re usually so Top 40,” Kurt responded.

   Blaine chuckled, unable to deny that was true. “So, you like the song choice?”

   “Very much,” Kurt sustained, the smile that Kurt adored oh so greatly forming on Blaine’s lips. The two began discussing which parts they were going to sing, Blaine suggesting that Kurt should be the one to start off the song. Kurt agreed with the idea, but instantly grew nervous and shaky when Blaine wanted to hear Kurt sing the part.

   Blaine took notice of Kurt’s apprehension. “Hey, I know singing in front of people can be scary for you, but you don’t have to be afraid. It’s only me.”

 _Yeah, only you. You’re only Blaine Anderson, the boy who can do pretty much anything and do so spectacularly. The boy I’ve been infatuated with for years. The boy I’ve tried so hard to dislike after all the shit he’s put me through over the years, but I find so hard to hate when I watch his lips curl into that captivatingly gorgeous smile of his. Why would I be nervous?_ Kurt thought to himself, taking a deep breath. Kurt hoped he hadn’t been silent for too long, but when he looked up and found Blaine looking at him with confused eyes, he knew he was screwed.

   “Promise you won’t laugh?” Kurt finally asked.

   “I promise.”

   Kurt took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to sing.

 _The power lines went out_  
_And I am all alone_  
 _But I don’t really care at all_  
 _Not answering my phone_

   From the moment Kurt opened his mouth and started singing, Blaine was amazed and captivated by Kurt’s talent. While he’d always figured Kurt was at least somewhat talented, as he was a member of glee club and seemed to have a decent love for singing, he didn’t expect him to be _this_ talented. Kurt finished singing the rest of his part, stopping before the place Blaine was supposed to come in at. Blaine didn’t say anything for a short while, which only made Kurt nervous about how he sounded.

   “So, how was it? Was I okay?” Kurt asked skeptically.

   Blaine chuckled under his breath, still in awe of the boy’s incredible singing voice. “Wow.”

   “What? Hey, you said you wouldn’t laugh,” Kurt reminded him.

   “No, no, I wasn’t laughing in a bad way. I was laughing because…Kurt, you’re _so_ talented and I just, _wow_. How do you not see how amazing your voice is? I can now say for sure that you have absolutely nothing to be worried about.”

   Kurt was shocked, extremely flattered, but shocked. “Um, thank you. That really means a lot coming from you. So, do you want to practice your part now?”

   “I’m not sure I want to anymore,” Blaine chuckled again. “I’m actually a little insecure now. I’m feeling like my voice lacks in comparison with yours.”

   Kurt was sure his face was already flaming from the compliment, and he couldn’t believe that he’d actually made Blaine – _Blaine_ – feel insecure. Blaine fiddled with his fingers, almost afraid to tear his eyes away from his lap. Kurt was actually appreciative that Blaine hadn’t been looking at him; he was sure his face was showing everything he was thinking. Kurt shifted awkwardly, waiting until the tingling feeling in his stomach was mostly gone before deciding to talk again.

   “You already know I think you’re extremely talented, Blaine. I still have a hard time believing that I made you feel insecure, but if I actually did, I didn’t mean to. I really want to hear you sing this song,” Kurt bit his lip when Blaine had finally looked up to meet his eyes. “Besides, you made me sing my part, so now I’m making you sing yours. I think our voices will sound really nice together.”

   Blaine gave Kurt a small smile. “I think so, too.”

   Kurt returned his smile. “Great! Now start singing.”

   Blaine laughed nervously, taking a few deep breaths before picking up where Kurt left off.

 _All the games you played_  
_The promises you made_  
 _Couldn’t finish what you started_  
 _Only darkness still remains_

   Kurt sat with a smile on his face while Blaine sang, hoping it would be enough to assure the boy that he was extremely talented as well and should keep going. Blaine had finished the solo he had in the first verse, and he was about to stop before the chorus when Kurt began singing along with him. Their voices blended so well together, both boys realizing this almost instantly.

_Lost sight, couldn’t see  
When it was you and me_

   When Blaine was first informed of the glee club assignment, he’d automatically assumed he would be singing with Rachel. It was a fair assumption, as Rachel clearly thought the same thing. Upon finding out that he would be singing with Kurt, Blaine was wary. He didn’t know anything about the boy – he was lucky he even knew his name. But now, in this moment with their voices mixing so smoothly, he was glad everything turned out the way it did. If this duet assignment were to eventually become a competition, Blaine was sure he and Kurt would take the prize.

 _Blow the candles out_  
_Looks like a solo tonight_  
 _I’m beginning to see the light_

 _Blow the candles out_  
_Looks like a solo tonight_  
 _But I think I’ll be alright_

   The two stopped after the first chorus, too overwhelmed by how amazing their voices complemented each other to continue. Both boys laughed shyly when they met eyes, Blaine staring down at the floor as if it were the most interesting object in the world. Blaine instantly startled when the heard the sound of a door unlocking, Kurt having a similar reaction. The door swung open and revealed a handsome man who looked quite young, but seemed to be a good couple of years older than Blaine. Kurt immediately connected the dots and concluded the man was probably Blaine’s brother, Cooper.

   “Coop, what are you doing here?” Blaine made no effort to mask his confusion. “You don’t even live here anymore. And if you’re looking for mom and dad, they’re at work.”

   “Nice to see you too, Squirt,” Cooper replied sarcastically, taking off the jacket he was wearing and hanging it on one of the chairs. Kurt noticed that Blaine rolled his eyes at the nickname. Cooper’s gaze suddenly landed on Kurt, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion before turning back to his younger brother. “Who’s this?”

   “This is Kurt. We got paired up for a project together,” Blaine answered, and Kurt gave Cooper a shy smile and a wave.

   “Oh, nice to meet you, Kurt.” Cooper nodded towards him.

   “Likewise,” Kurt responded. What was with the Anderson boys and their outrageously good looks? Cooper was undoubtedly attractive. He was a tall brunet with piercing blue eyes and seemed to be quite in shape, but Kurt’s heart was set on the younger one. They could both easily be considered heartthrobs, but Blaine was the one who always had and always will hold Kurt’s attention.

   “You never said why you were here,” Blaine noted, cutting their introduction short. Cooper let out an exasperated sigh and headed towards the living room. Cooper made himself comfortable on the couch, taking a seat on the opposite side of Blaine.

   “Mom borrowed one of my favorite movies and she told me she finished watching it, so I figured I should take it back,” Cooper answered, attempting to catch a glimpse at what was on his brother’s laptop. “So what kind of project are you guys working on?”

   “It’s for glee club,” Kurt spoke up this time. “We’re singing a few duets together.”

   Cooper nodded slowly. “Ah, what songs are you thinking of singing?”

   “Well, Blaine suggested that we try ‘Candles’ by Hey Monday. We sang a little bit of it and I think we would both agree that it was a pretty good fit,” Kurt said, glancing over at Blaine for approval. Blaine nodded in response, agreeing that the song was a good choice. Cooper let out a faint laugh.

   “I have no idea what that song is, but it sounds cool, I guess,” Cooper looked to Blaine. “I’m surprised you didn’t force Kurt to sing a Maroon 5 song or something. Or Katy Perry. Those are like, the only artists I’ve ever heard you sing songs from.”

   Blaine rolled his eyes teasingly. “Shut up, that’s not true at all.”

   “Kind of is,” Cooper tormented with a laugh. “Anyways, let’s hear it!”

   Kurt and Blaine exchanged a nervous glance. Blaine spoke first. “Wait, now?”

   “Sure, why not?”

   “It’s just that we’ve literally only practiced it once, and even then, we only sang part of the song. If you want us to sing it we will, but it’s not going to be perfect,” Blaine warned, but Cooper didn’t care.

   Cooper gave his brother a smug smile. “Doesn’t matter, I want to hear it.”

   “Um, okay.” Blaine looked to Kurt to make sure he was on board with singing, and when he nodded, Blaine made the obvious suggestion that they start the song from the beginning. Once again, Kurt filled the room with his wonderful voice. Soon after, Blaine’s equally lovely voice hit Cooper’s ears. Cooper seemed to approve of the song, the smile on his face growing wider during the chorus being a strong indication. Kurt and Blaine were evidently nervous when they’d gotten to the part they hadn’t yet rehearsed, but even with the lack of practice, the two sang beautifully together.

 _Been black and blue before_  
_There’s no need to explain_  
 _I am not the jaded kind_  
 _Playback’s such a waste_

 _You’re invisible_  
_Invisible to me_  
 _My wish is coming true_  
 _Erase the memory of your face_

   The two continued to sing through the end of the song, Cooper’s smile never faltering. Cooper even told Blaine that he was glad he didn’t force Kurt to sing a Maroon 5 or Katy Perry song. Blaine only rolled his eyes fondly at his brother, turning to look at Kurt. Kurt was already smiling at him, and Blaine returned his smile before wrapping his arm around Kurt’s shoulders and pulling him in for a side hug. While only a brief hug, it was enough to catch Kurt off guard yet ultimately make his entire day.

   “Even I can’t find any faults in this,” Cooper admitted with a chuckle, redirecting his attention from Blaine to Kurt. “It’s almost a crime that you and Blaine waited until now to sing together. You have to make up for lost time.”

   Kurt bit his lip, his eyes flickering to Blaine for half a second before looking back at Cooper. “Um, I’m not really sure what to say to that. Thank you?” It ended up sounding more like a question than anything.

   “Well I should get going now. I’ll see you soon enough, Squirt.” Cooper told Blaine once he made sure he had his movie to take back with him. He then turned to Kurt, reaching out to shake his hand. “It was nice meeting you, Kurt. I hope to see more of you, but if Blaine gets on your nerves and you have to go a while before seeing him again, that’s understandable. Believe me, he can be annoying.”

   “Hey!” Blaine pouted.

   “Oh, come on, you know it’s true,” Cooper teased, finally heading towards the door to leave. He gave the two of them one last wave goodbye before disappearing. “See you later, Klaine!”

   Blaine rolled his eyes and shook his head, still smiling. Kurt couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Cooper had called them ‘Klaine.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took so long for me to post. I'm in college and the new semester started a week ago so I haven't had as much free time, but I'll try my best to post again soon! Thank you for being patient!!!


	9. Making Sense

   “Hey Sam,” Finn calls out to his friend, who immediately turns around upon hearing his name. Finn doesn’t want to make Sam late for class, but he needs to talk to _someone_ right now or else he might just explode. “Can I get your opinion on something?”

   Sam nods, pulling Finn off to the side so they won’t be in the way. “What’s up?”

   Finn lets out a deep sigh. “Do you think I should break up with Quinn?”

   Sam gives him an undecipherable look, unsure of how he’s supposed to answer a question like that. Finn’s relationship with Quinn really is none of his business, even if he was the one who’d set them up in the first place. Sam decides there’s something wrong with urging someone to break up with their girlfriend, but then again, he doesn’t particularly think that the two are right for each other anymore.

   Sam answers with a shrug. “It’s your relationship, Finn. I can’t tell you what to do.”

   “I was afraid you’d say that.”

   “Well what’s going on?” Sam prods. “Why are you thinking of breaking up with her?”

   “I don’t know. I mean, Quinn’s actually really great,” Finn tells him. “She’s beautiful and smart and I’m definitely not unhappy. We get along quite well, have a pretty similar sense of humor.”

   “Then what’s the problem?”

   Finn shifts uncomfortably. “Well, she’s…she’s not –”

   “She’s not Rachel,” Sam finishes, flashing his friend a sad smile when Finn bows his head. “I really thought dating Quinn would help you get over this thing you have for Rachel, but I guess I was wrong. I don’t think you should be settling in a relationship – you shouldn’t have to. Plus, it’s not fair to her if you’re into some other girl.”

   Finn nodded, upset that Sam was right. Why couldn’t he move on?

   “We’re going to be late for class,” Finn says, changing the subject. Sam doesn’t say anything more, he just nods and advances down the hallway.

__________

   Rachel practically sprints out of the classroom upon the ending of second period, immediately heading for Blaine’s locker. Blaine gives her a small smile when he sees her, putting one of his textbooks away before centering his attention on her. Blaine doesn’t get a chance to greet her before Rachel’s lips are on his.

   “Well good morning to you, too,” Blaine says when she finally pulls away. She giggles, leaving only the slightest of distance between them. “You’re clearly in a good mood. What’s got you so happy?”

   Rachel smiles again, but this time she has _that look_ in her eye. “You know I have the house to myself tonight,” she says, reaching up to grab Blaine by his upper arms and pulling him in even closer. “It’s been a while since we’ve…messed around. I really miss you, Blaine. And it will be perfect. You can come over right after school if you want…that way we’ll have plenty of time to ourselves.” She quickly kisses him again.

   Blaine closes his locker door awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, his face full of guilt. “I um, I actually can’t tonight.”

   Rachel’s mood shifts completely. “What? Why not?”

   “Well, I told Kurt –”

   “Oh _no_ , you can’t be serious. This has to be some sort of joke. I _know_ you aren’t blowing me off to spend time with Hummel,” Rachel takes a step back and crosses her arms, her eyes dark with anger. “Why are you spending so much time with him anyway?”

   Blaine feels uncomfortable under her gaze. “It’s for our project for glee club.”

   “How much time can you possibly need? Blaine, come on,” she reaches for his arm, but he pulls away. “Just…tell Kurt you’ll do it another time. You guys aren’t even performing for a while yet anyway. You have plenty of opportunities to practice, okay? Just not tonight. I want you tonight.”

   Rachel leans in and begins to fumble with Blaine’s shirt, pressing herself closer to him. He sighs against her. “I’m sorry, Rach. I have to practice with Kurt tonight.” At that, Rachel huffs and completely removes herself from Blaine’s personal space.

   “I can’t believe this.”

   “I’ll make it up to you, okay?” He tells her, but she’s unconvinced. “Please don’t be mad.”

   “Too late,” she mutters before heading off in the other direction. Blaine sighs, leaning forward to rest his head against his locker door. He feels bad for blowing her off – he does – but his duet with Kurt is what’s important right now. He has plenty of time to spend with Rachel, and if he’s being honest, he’s not really in the mood to fool around with her tonight anyway. In fact, he hasn’t really been in the mood for a while now. Blaine shakes the thought from his head and proceeds down the hallway.

   He doesn’t need to be thinking about this right now.

__________

   “He totally blew me off,” Rachel tells Finn after taking a sip of tea. Finn had asked her to hang out at the Lima Bean after school today, and since Blaine was too busy to make time for her, she figured she’d take him up on his offer. “And for Hummel, too. It’s not even like it was anyone worth his time.”

   “I’m sorry,” Finn says.

   Rachel shakes her head. “I just don’t understand. When we first started going out, we were together almost all the time. We were practically inseparable. And now…he rarely ever makes time for me, and even when we do see each other, it’s like he’s preoccupied with other things. Is there something wrong with me? Did I do something to push him away?”

   “No, Rachel. Don’t say that. There’s nothing wrong with you. I think he’s just having trouble appreciating what he has,” Finn assures her, earning a small smile from Rachel. He reaches across the table and places his hand on top of hers – who needs boundaries? “I’m sure he’ll come around.”

   “I hope you’re right,” she sighs. Finn removes his hand from hers, afraid that if he left it there any longer, the gesture would become inappropriate. “I’m sorry for bumming you out and for speaking badly of Blaine. I know you two are best friends, and I…I shouldn’t be bashing him.” Finn allows himself to let out a slight laugh.

   “It’s totally cool. Yeah Blaine and I are best buds but, he can definitely be a huge idiot,” Finn laughs again, and this time Rachel does, too. “And you shouldn’t feel too guilty, because I actually wanted to talk to you about Quinn, and I know how close you two are.”

   Rachel raises an eyebrow and stares at him. “What’s going on with you and Quinn? Are you guys okay?”

   “Well, not exactly. I actually broke up with her today,” Finn admits, the confused look on Rachel’s face not faltering even as she moves to sip her tea. “Don’t worry about things being awkward, though. I let her down easy and we ended on pretty good terms. Part of me thinks she was actually a little bit relieved that I ended it.”

   “Why?”

   “It wasn’t right,” he dares to meet Rachel’s eyes. “Her and I…we didn’t make sense. I think we make sense as friends, but we weren’t meant for anything more. I think we were using each other as some sort of a distraction. From what, I don’t know,” he pauses for a moment, giving Rachel a chance to say something if she wants to. She doesn’t, so he continues. “I just didn’t think the relationship was fair to either of us. I don’t think either of us were really getting what we needed from it.”

   “Wow, Finn that’s…tough,” she tells him, not really sure of what else to say. He only shrugs, raising his coffee cup to his lips and taking a long sip. “Did you ever think that maybe she was into someone else?”

   Finn had to stop himself from laughing, as he was the one who’d used their relationship in attempt to get over someone. Finn becomes momentarily distracted as he traces his index finger around the lid of his coffee cup. When he finally looks back up at Rachel, he decides to answer her question with a shake of his head.

   “I doubt it, but who knows?” Finn lightly drums his fingers on the table. “Anyways, why don’t we change the subject to something a little less depressing?” Rachel nods in approval of his suggestion, leaning slightly forward as if to ask _‘what did you have in mind?’_ While there’s still a safe bit of space between their faces, Finn felt his chest tighten at the shift. “Let’s talk about our duet project. Do you think the one we rehearsed a couple days ago is good enough to be one of the songs we perform in front of the glee club?”

   “Oh, ‘Smile.’ Yeah, I really liked that one,” Rachel confirms. “At first, I was kind of unsure about singing a Lily Allen song – especially one with such negative lyrics – but it turned out amazing. I think our voices go really well together.”

   Finn couldn’t help but grin at that. Of course, he’d appreciated having Rachel as his duet partner and _of course_ he noticed how well they complemented each other – possibly in ways other than singing, too, but Finn wouldn’t ever think to say that out loud – but he didn’t know that Rachel felt the same. Knowing that Rachel enjoyed singing with him just as much as Finn enjoyed singing with her, was enough to make his heart flutter.

   “I think so, too,” Finn said honestly. “I’m so glad we’re duet partners.”

   “Me too,” Rachel verified, the corners of her lips raising to form a slight smile.

__________

   “So, I figured I should let you guys know just when you’ll be performing your duets. You still have plenty of time to rehearse with your partners, but I thought I’d give you a heads up,” Mr. Schuester said at the next glee club, clutching a paper in his hands. “I’m going to split these up so we don’t have a pair singing all three of their songs on the same day. We will start the Thursday after the next, and we’re going to have three different pairings perform one of their songs on that day.”

   The performances starting next Thursday meant that Kurt still had at least two weeks to practice with Blaine, and they might have more time depending on the day Mr. Schuester chooses to assign them. This had lasted much longer than any project Mr. Schuester had given them, but no one seemed to mind. The kids were grateful to have the opportunity to experiment with their voices, now that they finally had enough people in the club to be able to sing duets. It was definitely a nice break from all the solo performances.

   Kurt couldn’t decide if he wants to perform sooner or later – he’s looking forward to finally getting the chance to show the club what he and Blaine have been working on, in spite of his fear of public singing. However, Kurt can’t help but wish his time with Blaine wouldn’t end. Once the duet project ended, Blaine might never want anything to do with Kurt ever again – why would he, anyways? Guys like Blaine weren’t supposed to be involved – platonically or romantically – with guys like Kurt. Kurt was smart enough to understand that the two of them remaining friends after the assignment was over was far from likely, but there was still a large part of him that hoped they were different. Part of him hoped that they would stay in touch, and that their friendship would pave the way for students of different cliques to get together and become friends.

   But all of him knew he would only end up disappointed in the end.

   “On Thursday, the three pairs that will be performing are Rachel and Finn, Tina and Mike, and Santana and Mercedes. So that means Quinn and Brittany, Artie and Sam, and Kurt and Blaine will go on Friday. Then we’ll hear the first set of pairings sing another one of their songs on Monday, and the next set on Tuesday. Then the pattern continues, but you get it.” Mr. Schuester explained. “Does everyone understand?”

   Everyone nodded, yet there were some mixed reactions throughout the club. Rachel seemed to be excited that she was performing first, but Finn appeared more nervous than anything. Tina and Mike were both thrilled, Santana and Mercedes just wanting to get this over with. Quinn and Brittany didn’t seem to mind either way, and the looks on Artie and Sam’s faces seemed to confirm that they hadn’t started working yet. Kurt glanced over at Blaine for his reaction, but he didn’t really have one. He’d just simply nodded and that was it – what was Kurt supposed to make of that?

   Maybe he wasn’t meant to make anything of Blaine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii! Long time, no chapter.  
> I’m really sorry for waiting so long to post. I think it’s the longest I've gone without uploading a chapter, so I apologize for that. Anyways, I really hope this chapter was at least decent! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!!!


	10. Friday Shenanigans

   “So, that’s it? He just ended it – just like that?” Puck asks and Quinn nods. “Did he at least say why?”

   Quinn shakes her head and frowns. “Not really. He just kept saying ‘it wasn’t right,’ but I’m not sure _what_ wasn’t right.”

   “That really blows.”

   Quinn and Puck are sitting side by side on their gymnasium’s bleachers, both of their gazes fixated on the wall opposite them. When Puck had first heard the news that Finn had dumped Quinn, he couldn’t believe it. The two never showed any real signs of unhappiness in their relationship, so Puck had just assumed things were fine between them. The sigh that escapes Quinn’s lips is what snaps Puck out of his thoughts.

   “I don’t mean this in a bad way, but what are you doing here?” Quinn asks.

   “What do you mean?”

   “Well, I know you don’t have football practice today, and football’s normally the reason you stay after school,” she continues, smoothing her fingers over her skirt. “I was here for cheerleading practice and just decided to stay back after it ended so I could relax for a little. Not that I don’t appreciate your company, I just don’t understand.”

   Puck doesn’t understand either. Why _is_ he here? Surely it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that Quinn and Finn had just broken up and Puck wanted to be the first person to provide her with some comfort. That couldn’t be it, could it?

   “Oh, yeah I came here earlier for the cheerleaders. You know, the really hot ones,” Puck says. Quinn playfully rolls her eyes and nudges him. Puck only laughs, and it isn’t long before a brief silence hangs in the air. Puck reaches out and places a hand on Quinn’s upper back, coaxing her to look at him. “Are you okay?”

   Quinn gives him a small smile. “You know what? I actually think I am.”

___________________

   “Wait, you’re not kidding? Like, you’re actually being serious right now?” Finn shoots Puck a confused look.

   “I keep waiting for the part where you say that you’re joking,” Sam chimes in.

   “No joke, I’m totally being serious,” Puck assures them.

   “ _You_ joining _glee club_? After all the shit you talked about it?” Blaine shakes his head, popping a grape into his mouth. Could Puck really blame his friends for reacting like they did? He’d only just sprung this on them five minutes into the lunch period. “I guess I’m just having trouble understanding why.”

   “Just had a change of heart,” is Puck’s answer.

   “Were you feeling left out or something?” Rachel adds.

   Puck nods and takes a swig of his chocolate milk. “Sure, that sounds good.”

   “Well, you know you’re not going be able to participate in the duet assignment,” Rachel points out, toying with the cap from her water bottle. “We’d have an uneven number of people, so it wouldn’t work. And you probably couldn’t join a group because then it would become a trio and everyone’s already been working so hard on the songs they chose –”

   “Rachel, you can shut up now. I don’t really care about missing some assignment,” Puck interrupts. “Although, I’d really like to know what I’m getting myself into. Who are you guys partnered with and what songs are you singing?”

   “I was paired with Artie,” Sam rejoins the conversation, biting into a potato chip.

   Puck raises an eyebrow. “That wheelchair kid?”

   “Oh come on, Puck. He clearly has a name, and there’s much more to him than that,” Blaine defends out of nowhere, earning a strange look from a few of his friends. A silence falls over them until Rachel eventually decides to break it.

   “Finn and I are duet partners,” Rachel says. “I’ll tell you that much, but you’re crazy if you think I’m going to tell you what songs we’re singing. I don’t know about Finn,” she glances over at him, “but I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

   “You aren’t singing with Blaine?” Puck is still trying to play catch up.

   Blaine shakes his head. “We didn’t get to choose.”

   “Yeah, he’s working with that Hummel kid,” Rachel informs Puck with a roll of her eyes.

   “And you’re okay with this, Anderson? Isn’t that Hummel kid–”

   Blaine narrows his eyes. “His name is Kurt.” _What is he doing?_

   Puck makes a face. “Okay, fine. Isn’t that Kurt kid like…you know…”

   “Gay? You can say it, Puck,” Blaine continues, as he apparently can’t seem to stop talking. “Yeah, he is. So what? Why is that a problem?”

   Puck is stunned. “Look dude, I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive all of a sudden.” _I don’t either_ , Blaine thinks. “I was just a little surprised by it. I didn’t realize you two were so close.”

   “They’re not,” Rachel speaks before Blaine has the chance to. “They’re spending a lot of time together for their project and that’s probably why Blaine is acting kind of delusional right now. As soon as it’s over, they’ll go their separate ways and everything will be back to normal. Right, Blaine?” She looks to her boyfriend, who was growing more and more uneasy by the second under her gaze.

   “Of course, yeah,” he promises. “Right.”

___________________

   “How about a One Direction song? They have some great ones,” Kurt suggests, pressing his back further into the couch. He and Blaine had decided to practice at Kurt’s house this time, as Blaine’s parents were home, and he understood that he and Kurt weren’t likely to accomplish anything with the loud, distracting sounds of his parents’ voices.

   Blaine shrugs. “Eh, I don’t know. Got anything else?”

   “Hmm,” Kurt ponders, “how about a Pink song?”

   Blaine chuckles. “Only if the song is ‘Perfect.’ That’s her best one.”

   “Sounds pretty good to me. Do you want to rehearse it now?”

   “Sure.”

   Kurt’s rich tenor voice soon fills the room, and once again, Blaine is absolutely mesmerized by the sound. He can only sit and watch, wondering how a single person can possess _so much talent_. Before he met Kurt, he never would’ve imagined it was possible. After Kurt finishes singing the first verse, Blaine chimes in with the chorus a few moments later.

   Similarly, Kurt appreciates the hell out of Blaine’s warm, honey voice. Blaine sings the first few lines of the chorus before Kurt joins in, an immediate smile forming on both of their lips. They are barely able to finish the chorus before Kurt hears his dad’s voice calling his name from the kitchen.

   “Yeah, Dad?” Kurt yells back, but receives no response. He rises to his feet and sighs, heading upstairs to the kitchen with Blaine lagging awkwardly behind him. Burt is shocked upon realizing that Kurt had invited someone over, but what was even more shocking was the fact that this someone wasn’t Mercedes or Tina. Burt had never seen this someone before. Burt motions for his son to move out of the way as he takes a step towards this mystery friend of Kurt’s.

   “Who’s this?” He asks, eyeing Blaine carefully.

   “Dad, this is Blaine,” Kurt answers, his voice slightly shaky. “He’s my duet partner.”

   “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hummel,” Blaine says politely, offering him a hand to shake. Burt hesitates a moment before taking it, trying his best to assign the far too familiar name to a new face.

   “Call me Burt, kid,” he tells Blaine. “I don’t know how I didn’t hear you guys if you were practicing up here,” Burt looks to his son. “You didn’t tell me you were having anyone over today.”

   Kurt shifts awkwardly. “I didn’t know that I was supposed to. I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

   “Normally it wouldn’t be, but I think you’re forgetting what today is,” Burt reminds him, and it takes a few moments before Kurt catches on.

   “Friday,” Kurt finally says, glancing over at the clock to learn it’s nearly six o’clock. “We have our dinner tonight. I’m sorry Dad, it completely slipped my mind.”

   “Yeah, dinner. I called you in here because I wanted you to set the table,” Burt sighs, ogling the stack of plates sitting on top of the counter. “But I guess if you two really need to practice, I suppose we can skip it. As much as I hate to say it, we don’t have to do it every Friday.”

   “I can leave if you want,” Blaine suddenly says. “If this dinner is important to you, Kurt and I can just practice some other time.”

   Kurt turns to Blaine. “No, you don’t have to leave. It’s fine.”

   “It’s okay, I’ll go.” Blaine gives him a small smile, quickly looking to Burt before facing Kurt again. “I’ll see you around, Kurt. Have a good dinner.” Kurt watches as Blaine waves goodbye and turns around to leave. He is so distracted while watching the boy walk away that he hadn’t even noticed when his dad had started to say something.

   “Wait!” Burt calls right as Blaine is about to disappear from his sight. Blaine turns back around apprehensively. “You just got here not too long ago. It would be wrong if I made you leave so soon. Why don’t you join us?”

   Kurt and Blaine seem equally as surprised with Burt’s offer. Blaine takes a few reluctant steps towards them.

   “I don’t want to intrude, Mr. Hummel,” Blaine is suddenly shy.

   “It’s Burt,” he reminds Blaine, stepping forward and clasping a hand on his shoulder. Blaine is simultaneously taken aback by both the offer and the gesture. “And you’re not intruding. If you’re up for it, I’d love for you to join us. I think Kurt would love for you to stay, too. Right, Kurt?”

   Kurt gives his dad _the look_ when he’s positive Blaine won’t notice. “Um, yeah. I’d…it would be nice if you stayed.”

   “Okay, if you don’t mind, I’d love to stay,” Blaine smiles.

   “Great!” Burt grins, looking between the two boys.

   “If you’re going to let me stay, at least let me help set the table,” Blaine insists.

   “Ah, very polite,” Burt points out, nodding at him before turning to meet Kurt’s eyes. “Kurt, I’m going to have you in charge of plates. I’ll get the drinks, and I want you to show Blaine where the silverware is.”

___________________

   It’s almost unrealistic just how easily Blaine falls into conversation with Kurt and Burt. He’s strangely comfortable despite this being his first time meeting Burt and the fact that he doesn’t know Kurt very well yet. He soon realizes that Burt’s tough, intimidating exterior is simply a façade. He thinks back to the way Kurt described his father the one day, now understanding Kurt’s reasoning for admiring him so greatly.

   “So, Blaine,” Burt starts after chewing a piece of chicken. “How’s school going for you?”

   Blaine looks up from his plate. “It’s going pretty well, I think.”

   “That’s good,” Burt says, nodding. “So, you got a girlfriend?”

   “Dad!” Kurt warns, but Burt’s still waiting for an answer. Blaine finds himself feeling slightly self-conscious and uneasy for the first time since the three of them sat down to eat dinner. He clears his throat and awkwardly scratches the back of his neck.

   “Yeah, I do. I don’t know if Kurt’s ever mentioned her name or anything before, but her name’s Rachel. She’s the head cheerleader at our school,” Blaine says, and Burt hums to show he’s listening. Kurt decides not to contribute to the conversation, deciding that shoving forkfuls of chicken into his mouth is much more desirable.

   “How long have you been together?”

   “Two years or so,” Blaine replies, reaching for his glass of water.

   Burt nods. “That’s nice.”

   “Why don’t we talk about something else now?” Kurt finally speaks up, hoping to steer the conversation into a direction much more bearable.

   “You’re right, Kurt. I’m sorry for prying into your personal life so much, Blaine. I’d be happy to talk about something else instead,” Burt says. He soon starts to chuckle. “Hey, did Kurt ever tell you about the time I walked in on him dancing to ‘Single Ladies?’”

   Kurt sighs in defeat. He was really hoping Blaine had forgotten about that, and he would really appreciate it if his dad wouldn’t be so eager to jog his memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh I AM SO SORRY. It has literally been FOREVER since I posted last (over a month!)  
> I really hope this chapter was okay, I will try my hardest to post soon!  
> I love you all and thanks for sticking with me despite my lack of a writing schedule! <3


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